2018 Symposium
The Australian feral cat population fluctuates between 1.4 to 5.6 million, and cats kill more than 1 million birds, more than 1 million reptiles, and more than 1 million mammals in Australia every day.
The first Feral Cat Symposium was held in Mandurah on the 31st May 2018 at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, hosted by The Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute and the Peel Harvey Catchment Council.
Mandurah Performing Arts Centre: Ormsby Tce, Mandurah
Thursday, 31st May 2018
8.30 – 9.00 Arrival and Registration
9.00 – 9.25 Event Opening and Introduction
Introduction and Event Overview Jane O’Malley (PHCC)
Welcome to Country Harry Nannup
Mayoral Welcome Deputy Mayor Caroline Knight
9.25 – 10.45Government’s Perspective and Setting the Scene
Introduction Natarsha Woods (Wheatbelt NRM)
Federal Government Perspective Dr Sally Box (Threatened Species Commissioner)
WA Biodiversity and Agriculture Management Act Andrew Reeves (DPIRD)
Defining the Impacts to Australian Wildlife John Woinarski (Charles Darwin University)
Community Perceptions and social momentum Gaye Mackenzie (Consultant)
Panel Q&A Session John Woinarski, Peter Klinken (WA Chief Scientist), Margaret Byrne, Sally Box
10.45 – 11.15Morning Tea
11.15 – 12.45The Future of Techniques for Feral Predator Control
Introduction Paul Thomas (University of Adelaide)
Gene Editing; Introduction and Social Licence Margaret Byrne (DBCA) & Mark Tizard (CSIRO)
The CRISPR toolkit for genetic biocontrol of invasive species Owain Edwards (CSIRO)
Detection dogs & their role in feral cat management Scott Thompson (Terrestrial Ecosystems)
Implementing Humane & Responsible Feral Cat Control Di Evans (RSPCA)
Panel Session: What does the future of feral cat control look like in Australia? Owain Edwards, Di Evans, Gay Mackenzie
12.45 – 1.45 Lunch
1.45 – 2.50 Case Studies of Feral Cat Control
Introduction Bruce Webber (WABSI)
Charles Darwin Reserve Trials Vanessa Westcott (Bush Heritage Australia)
Indigenous Led Feral Cat Control in Remote Desert Regions Rachel Paltridge (Desert Wildlife Services)
Dryandra Numbat Woylie Project Peter Lacey (DBCA)
Public Preferences for Cat Control in the Dryandra Region Vandana Subroy (UWA)
Wheatbelt NRM Feral Cat Project Rowan Hegglun (Wheatbelt NRM)
2.50 – 3.30 Afternoon Tea
3.30 – 4.30 Case Studies of Feral Cat Control (continued)
Dirk Hartog Island Dave Algar (DBCA)
Establishing a national network of feral cat-free areas Atticus Fleming (AWC)
Panel Session: Keys to successful Feral Cat Control Vanessa Westcott, Dave Algar, Richard McLellan, Rachel Paltridge, Atticus Fleming
4.30 – 4.45 Event wrap up and close
Atticus Fleming
CEO Australian Wildlife Conservancy
Atticus Fleming is the inaugural Chief Executive of the non-profit Australian Wildlife Conservancy, which manages 4.65 million hectares across iconic regions such as the Kimberley, the Top End and the central Australian outback. AWC protects some of the largest remaining populations of many of Australia’s most threatened species.
Prior to AWC, Atticus worked as an advisor to Australia’s longest serving Federal Environment Minister, the Hon Robert Hill, and as a constitutional lawyer (Federal Attorney-General’s Department) and a corporate lawyer and commercial lawyer (Mallesons).
Atticus was one of four WA finalists in the 2014 Australian of the Year awards and in 2016 was named by Australian Geographic as one of 30 people who have had the greatest influence on conservation of Australia’s wildlife over the last 30 years. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Canberra in 2016.
Dr Sally Box
Threatened Species Commissioner
Dr Box has a PhD in Plant Sciences and began her career in the Department of the Environment and Energy working on threatened species assessments. Since, she has worked with the community to design and deliver programs focused on threatened species conservation, including through her leadership of the Green Army. Dr Box has also worked in partnership with scientists and landholders to deliver the Emissions Reduction Fund and most recently worked on the Paris Agreement in the Department’s international climate change area. The Threatened Species Commissioner champions the implementation of the Threatened Species Strategy and practical conservation actions to recover our most threatened plants and animals. Using the principles of science, action and partnership, the Commissioner works with conservation organisations, governments, community and the private sector to improve the trajectory of our threatened species.
John Woinarski
Charles Darwin University and Threatened Species Recovery Hub of NESP
John Woinarski is a professor of conservation at Charles Darwin University, and one of the deputy directors of the Threatened Species Recovery Hub of the National Environmental Science Program. He has worked for about 25 years in northern Australia, with interests in conservation research (mostly of birds, mammals, reptiles, and islands), policy and management.
Paul Thomas
University of Adelaide
Prof Paul Thomas is Director of the SA Genome Editing Facility at the University of Adelaide and South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute.
His research focuses on the development of CRISPR/CAS9 genome editing technology for a range of applications including development of synthetic gene drives for invasive pest suppression. He has published more than 80 scientific articles with >6,800 citations. His research is supported by the USA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Australian National Health & Medical Research Council.
Andrew Reeves
Development Officer – Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
Andrew grew up on Oudabunna Station at Paynes Find where he completed secondary schooling by correspondence before completing a Degree in Biological Science at Murdoch University then completing an Honours in Environmental Science where his thesis was on the regeneration of a native species (Verticordia eriocephala) following seed collecting.
In 1996 I was employed by the Agriculture Protection Board and then by Department of Agriculture as a Technical Officer and later as a Research Officer working on dGPS and mapping skeleton weed (Chondrillia juncea) and herbicide trials on declared weeds.
My current roles have included acting as the Senior Policy Officer for the Invasive Species Directorate and writing eradication and response plans for high priority agricultural pests.manages 4.65 million hectares across iconic regions such as the Kimberley, the Top End and the central Australian outback. AWC protects some of the largest remaining populations of many of Australia’s most threatened species.
Prior to AWC, Atticus worked as an advisor to Australia’s longest serving Federal Environment Minister, the Hon Robert Hill, and as a constitutional lawyer (Federal Attorney-General’s Department) and a corporate lawyer and commercial lawyer (Mallesons).
Atticus was one of four WA finalists in the 2014 Australian of the Year awards and in 2016 was named by Australian Geographic as one of 30 people who have had the greatest influence on conservation of Australia’s wildlife over the last 30 years. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Canberra in 2016.
Scott Thompson
Principal Zoologist – Terrestrial Ecosystems
Scott is an award winning environmental professional, business owner, husband and father.
Scott is a Principal Zoologist and Partner at Terrestrial Ecosystems. Terrestrial Ecosystems is an environmental consultancy and wildlife research company that specialises in working with terrestrial vertebrate fauna. Scott has specialist knowledge in assessing and managing impacts on terrestrial vertebrate fauna, including threatened and feral species. He has been associated with fauna surveys for 20 years, including more than 15 years of industry experience, 13 of those as an environmental consultant.
Scott regularly undertakes management and control programs for feral and pest fauna across WA. Scott is the primary handler for Terrestrial Ecosystems detection dog (Dazzy) who is trained to find Northern Quoll, Bilby, feral cats and foxes.
Di Evans
Senior Scientific Officer RSPCA Australia
Di graduated from the Murdoch University vet school and has worked in agriculture in various government roles for over 20 years as well as small animal practice, private consultancy & tertiary education.
She was the inaugural Animal Ethics Officer at Murdoch University, has been on numerous Animal Ethics Committees and was the WA Department of Agriculture & Food Animal Welfare Officer for 3 years until 2013 at which time became the inaugural Animal Welfare Advocate for RSPCA South Australia.
She moved back to WA in 2016 and works for RSPCA Australia remotely as a Senior Scientific Officer, responsible for 3 different port folios including wild animals (native and introduced). She is currently a member of the Kangaroo Island Feral Cat Eradication Program Steering Committee and has been a member of various national advisory committees.
She completed a Masters on welfare standards in pet shops in 2000, completed her membership exams in animal welfare for the Australian & New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in 2008 & has won awards in recognition of her work in agricultural extension and service to the veterinary profession.
Peter Lacey
Nature Conservation Program Leader: DBCA
Peter has spent much of his career working in the WA Wheatbelt including 11 years with the Department of Agriculture on improving livestock management systems and Natural Resource Management, and 4 years as an Aquaculture Development Officer with the Department of Fisheries WA (the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Fisheries WA are now the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development), and the last 14 years working for the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (and its predecessors), managing the Toolibin Lake recovery Project and leading the Nature Conservation Program for the southern section of the Wheatbelt Region.
Peter has been fortunate to have worked with a range of dedicated, highly skilled and innovative people, in the agricultural and fishing industries and the field of nature conservation.
Dr Margaret Byrne
Executive Director – Biodiversity and Conservation Science; Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
Dr Margaret Byrne is Executive Director, Science and Conservation Division in the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions where she is responsible for the integration of science, policy and on-ground management for biodiversity conservation.
Margaret has a strong interest in effective leadership and management and sees effective partnerships across organisations as critical to the achievement of conservation goals. She is also recognised as a leading biological scientist in Australia with over 200 refereed publications, and uses this to affect a strong evidence based approach to biodiversity conservation in Western Australia.
Margaret obtained a PhD from The University of Western Australia and was a Post-doctoral Fellow at CSIRO in Canberra before returning to Perth to develop and manage a conservation genetics program in the then Department of Conservation and Land Management. She remains active in conservation genetics in conjunction with taking on a science management role.
Dr Gaye MacKenzie
Director – Collective IQ Consulting
A sociological background and experience across a wide range of organisations and areas has led Gaye to be passionate about inspiring people to see other’s perspectives, to appreciate the complexity of problems that involve humans and to have conversations that enable change. She has found a number of places to work on this endeavour – currently as the Director of Collective IQ Consulting, as part time Associate Professor at UWA (lecturing in Public Policy and Evaluation), as the Conservation/NRM representative on the Pastoral Lands Board and previously as the CEO of Rangelands NRM.
Dr Rachel Partridge and Christine Ellis
Rachel is a Wildlife Consultant – Desert Wildlife Services. Christine is an Indigenous Ranger from the Nyirripi Community.
Dr Rachel Paltridge has spent the past 25 years based in Alice Springs researching the ecology of feral cats and collaborating with Indigenous land management groups on threatened species projects. Rachel is the Principal Consultant of Desert Wildlife Services and is passionate about integrating Traditional Knowledge and tracking skills with scientific research and new technologies to develop novel approaches to wildlife management.
Christine Ellis is an Indigenous Ranger from Nyirripi Community 400km west of Alice Springs. Over the past ten years she has worked for the Central Land Council, Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Desert Wildlife Services. Christine is an exceptional Tracker who has won a swag of awards for her efforts in cat control to protect threatened species. She has trained many other Indigenous Rangers how to track and trap cats and her services are highly sought after across the desert..
Richard McLellan
CEO of the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC)
Richard is the CEO of the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC) – based at Geraldton in mid-west Australia. Specifically, with regards to feral cats, he is also a member of the Threatened Species Commissioner’s national Feral Cats Taskforce – representing Australia’s 56 regional NRM organisations.
An experienced senior-level ecologist, conservationist, and sustainable development program manager, Richard did his original training in environmental science, and has enjoyed a varied working career to now be primarily focused on issues relating to community-based natural resource management, private land conservation, and sustainable development.
As a member of the Feral Cats Taskforce, Richard has become all-too-aware of the impacts that feral cats are having on native fauna across Australia. He is proud that NACC is currently working with landholders in his region to combat feral cats, and inspired by all of the work being done by a wide range of organisations, agencies and individuals to combat feral cats across the country.
Bruce Webber
Program Director, Ecosystem Processes & Threat Mitigation; WABSI
Bruce Webber leads the Ecosystem Change Ecology team at CSIRO and is the program director of Ecosystem Processes and Threat Mitigation at WABSI. He has over 15 years’ experience as a research scientist focusing on the impacts of global environmental change on plant-ecosystem interactions. Bruce’s current work translates novel research findings into improved management solutions to address the biggest challenges at the nexus of global environmental change, species invasions and native species resilience.
Vandana Subroy
Vandana obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry from St. Francis College in Hyderabad, India, followed by a Master’s in Applied Mathematics from the University of Hyderabad, India.
She completed a second Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences from Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA that included a thesis on the “Hydraulic properties of recycled wood material”, which was carried out in collaboration with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.
She is currently pursuing a PhD at the School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia. Her PhD focusses on socio-economically optimal conservation decision-making to manage fox and feral cat populations at a fragmented conservation site in southwest WA to ensure the survival of two threatened species—Numbats and Woylies.
Dave Algar
Principal Research Scientist; Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
Dave is a Principal Research Scientist with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and has extensive experience and expertise in the fields of feral cat ecology and control strategies. The research conducted has led to the design and development of the recently registered feral cat bait Eradicat®, establishment of baiting strategies over broad-scale areas to provide effective and cost-efficient control and implementation of a number of successful feral cat eradication campaigns on islands.
Owain Edwards
Group Leader, Environmental & Synthetic Genomics; CSIRO
Building on his expertise in invertebrate genomics Dr Edwards leads a CSIRO research group in Environmental & Synthetic Genomics, which includes a research team focused on genetic pest control technologies. Most recently, Dr Edwards was given a leadership role in the development of CSIRO’s new Future Science Platform in Synthetic Biology. Within this platform, Dr Edwards oversees projects delivering environmental outcomes including gene drives for biological control, and engineering resistance/resilience into threatened ecosystems.
9:30 am: Australian Government perspective on feral cats
Sally Box
Content to be provided.
9.40 am: State perspective – update on Feral Cat Pest Declaration under the BAM Act
Andrew Reeves
The Biosecurity and Agricultural Management (BAM) Act and regulations allow for organisms to be declared as pest in all, or part, of the State and categorised into different control categories if they have, or may have, and adverse effect on native organisms, the well-being of people, the natural environment and/or the productivity of the States agriculture, forest, fishing or pearling industries. As such the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development have undertaken a technical assessment for declaration of the feral cat as a declared pest under section 22(2) of the BAM Act, and have consulted stakeholders both internally and externally. This talk will therefore provide an overview of this process and where it’s up to currently, the distinction between feral cats, stray cats and domestic cats, the likely declaration categories and what this means for cat owners and those undertaking feral cat control across WA.
9.50 am: The impacts of feral cats on Australian wildlife
John Woinarski
Many important components of Australia’s distinctive biodiversity are in decline or have become extinct. At least 32 mammal species have become extinct since European colonisation of Australia – representing about 40% of the world’s modern mammal extinctions. Although many factors have contributed to these declines and extinctions, feral cats are implicated in most of the mammal extinctions, and continue to pose a major threat to many Australian animals. The recognition of this impact is long-standing, but contested. Many recent studies and management programs (particularly successful reintroductions of threatened mammals to predator-proof exclosures) have provided crucial evidence that allows the role of cats to be more clearly defined. In a series of recent studies, we concluded that the Australian feral cat population fluctuates between 1.4 to 5.6 million; that areas without cats comprise <0.5% of Australia; that cats kill more than 1 million birds, more than 1 million reptiles, and more than 1 million mammals in Australia every day.
10.05 am: Community perceptions and social momentum
Gaye Mackenzie
What influences the way we think about feral cats and other feral animals and the management actions we take to control them? Gaye will explore this issue through a social science lens.
11.25 am: Gene editing – introduction & social licence
Margaret Byrne
In Australia, feral predators, particularly feral cats and foxes, are major threats to biodiversity and have been linked to extinctions of native animals. Current management options are largely based on baiting, yet these efforts are self-limiting as they require ongoing implementation with variable effectiveness in terms of population control. More recently, the gene editing system CRISPR-Cas9 has been proposed as a potential tool for the control of invasive species. This technology has the potential to be a species-specific and non-lethal alternative to current baiting based control options. Considered evaluation of gene editing for invasive species control will involve scientific and community discussion and establishment of regulatory control mechanisms. This will require assessment of risks and benefits and hence a range of information related to biology, ecology and population dynamics of target species in Australian landscapes. We reviewed the current state of biological knowledge of several of Australia’s invasive species within the gene-drive context, including feral cats. This provides the opportunity to address knowledge gaps prior to formal evaluation of gene editing as an effective and sustainable strategy for the control of specific invasive species.
11.40 am: The CRISPR toolkit for genetic biocontrol of invasive species
Owain Edwards
Australia has long been a global leader for the implementation of successful biological control agents targeting insects, weeds, and vertebrate pests. This has primarily involved classical biological control approaches using predators, parasitoids, and disease agents. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with symbiotic bacteria have been released for many years into far north Queensland, first as a strategy to make mosquitoes incapable of transmitting Dengue and more recently as a population suppression tool. Australian scientists also developed “daughterless” carp technology, but this tool was never deployed for genetic control of this damaging pest in our native river systems. CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology has made it possible to consider developing genetic control strategies for species that would never have been considered candidates previously, including feral cats. Australian scientists, with international partners, are using CRISPR-Cas9 to design components of a genetic toolkit that can be utilised in different ways to control target pests. Future releases of genetic control agents should be subject at the very least to the same strict regulations that have been in place for decades for exotic biological control agents. Extensive testing under quarantine conditions will be needed to protect against unforeseen ecological consequences. Community consultation must begin now to determine for what target species, and under what circumstances the public might consider genetic technologies as a control option.
11.55 am: Detection dogs and their role in feral cat management
Scott Thompson
Conservation detection dogs have been used to search for a variety of materials for more than 100yrs. Trained conservation detection dogs have an established record of being a cost effective method for locating animals, their scats and retreat sites as well as for detecting drugs, missing persons, explosives, blood, cadavers and medical conditions such as cancers.
The target odours include fauna, plants, disease, explosives, drugs, money, underground water, and many other substances that humans thought weren’t possible to search for.
We will provide recent data to demonstrate the capability and efficiency of our detection dog, Dazzy, to find a cryptic scats, and discuss Dazzy’s ability to find the odours compared with human searches. Dazzy is professionally trained to find cats, foxes, Northern Quoll and Bilby. We will go on to explain how detection dogs can be used to manage feral cats in peri-urban and rural areas.
12.10 pm: Implementing humane and responsible feral cat control
Di Evans
The commitment and passion, as well as legislative requirements, to protect threatened species has produced a sense of urgency that has driven us to perhaps give less consideration to the impact of feral cat management on other species including non-target animals. For pest animal control programs to meet ethical and welfare considerations, they must be justified, humane and effective. To maintain social licence to continue these programs, all these aspects must be incorporated – the eight principles of humane vertebrate pest management, developed at an international meeting in 2004, provides a logical pathway to do this. Further, the humaneness matrix for feral cat control methods is a very useful practical tool which informs us about the relative animal welfare impacts (severity and duration of suffering prior to death and mode of death) of different control methods (shooting and trapping only). This matrix is based on the Five Domains model which provides a comprehensive review of key welfare considerations affecting physical aspects (nutrition, environmental change, health, behaviour) and mental states (fear, thirst, pain). In addition, operator competency can be underpinned by appropriate training and through mandatory compliance with codes of practice and standard operating procedures. Much progress has been made in terms of understanding the animal welfare impacts of current methods but much more needs to be done to ensure that the most humane methods are used effectively and more humane methods (including non-lethal) are developed.
1.55 pm: Charles Darwin Reserve Trials
Vanessa Westcott
Bush Heritage Australia is undertaking feral cat monitoring and control across the country. We use best-practice adaptive management at a landscape-scale to maintain wild, unfenced populations of vulnerable native fauna. We make it a priority to share our findings with others to improve conservation efforts beyond our reserves and partnerships.
I will provide an overview and some preliminary results of our Eradicat baiting trial at Charles Darwin Reserve as an example of our approach.
2.05 pm: Indigenous Rangers integrate old and new technologies to manage cats on their lands
Rachel Paltridge and Christine Ellis
Feral cats are a significant threat to the survival of the bilby and the great desert skink, two threatened species with key strongholds on Aboriginal lands. Indigenous Rangers are leading the fight against extinction of bilbies and great desert skinks by controlling cats and managing fire. Expert tracking skills, combined with the use of cat traps can be an efficient and cost-effective method of removing cats from priority sites. In the Gulf of Carpentaria Indigenous Rangers are restoring native mammal communities on West island with a cat eradication program involving baiting, trapping and high-tech Felixer Grooming Traps (that spray a lethal dose of poison onto cats but are not triggered by non-target species). Expert tracking skills are key to successful deployment of all these cat control methods and Indigenous Rangers are making significant contributions to wildlife conservation programs.
2.15 pm: Dryandra Numbat project – an example of successful feral cat control with community support
Peter Lacey
Dryandra Numbat project – an example of successful feral cat control with community support – Abstract
Dryandra Woodland is a refuge for fauna within the fragmented, transitional zone, between the jarrah forest to the west and more arid woodlands and mallee heath to the east. It is one of the few locations where iconic and threatened fauna such as the numbat and woylie have maintained a foothold while their populations and distribution declined elsewhere.
To stem the decline of WA fauna the government implemented a baiting program based on a naturally occurring toxin sodium fluoroacetate commonly known as 1080, which native fauna in the south west of WA had developed varying levels of resistance. The baiting in Dryandra started in 1982 and was very effective at recovering key fauna species, this program developed and became Western Shield.
After the initial success of Western Shield, some fauna populations again collapsed in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, in 2014 woylie and numbat numbers were very low, research by Marlow et al and Friend showed that cats had become a major predator in Dryandra and were not effectively controlled by existing baiting practices.
With the aid of funding from the federal and state governments, DBCA’s Wheatbelt Region decided to implement a range of actions aimed at fauna recovery in Dryandra Woodland including encouraging off reserve control, acknowledging that control restricted largely to DBCA estate would limit its ineffectiveness in such a fragmented landscape.
2.25 pm: Public preferences for cat control in the Dryandra region of WA
Vandana Subroy
Economic research can guide conservation decision-making by analysing the costs and benefits of conservation plans to assess whether policies are economically optimal and socially desirable. My PhD research uses a well-established non-market valuation technique called a discrete choice experiment (DCE), to assess the attitudes and preferences of affected stakeholders for protecting threatened species (Numbats and Woylies) through fox and feral cat management. The study is conducted at Dryandra Woodland; a fragmented conservation site in WA surrounded by farmland. We surveyed conservation experts, direct landholders and surrounding community within 50 km of Dryandra Woodland, and the general public of WA.
Analysis revealed four main groups with distinct preferences. The largest group, which included 43% of the general public and about 60% of respondents from each of the other stakeholder samples, preferred a combination of strategies to manage fox and feral cat populations. There were three equal-sized groups—one opposed to the current strategy of 1080 baiting, one concerned only with the costs of strategies and who supported the current strategy, and a third that was indifferent to which management strategy was implemented. Most respondents, however, supported increased Numbat and Woylie populations.
2.40 pm: With a little help from my friends: integrated management of vertebrate pests within fragmented landscapes; bringing community and government together
Rowan Hegglun
With a little help from my friends: integrated management of vertebrate pests within fragmented landscapes; bringing community and government together
Community based integrated asset protection in a fragmented landscape. Threatened species face a number of challenges to their survival. This presentation walks through a methodology designed to engage community in feral control to benefit threatened species with a view to future proofing continued feral management across the landscape. We will look at three broad approaches to engaging community in vertebrate pest management, each with varying degrees of social and environmental impact.
3.30 pm: Dirk Hartog Island
Dave Algar
Feral cats have been known to drive numerous extinctions of endemic species on islands. Also, predation by feral cats currently threatens many species listed as critically endangered. Island faunas that have evolved in the absence of predators are particularly susceptible to cat predation. Dirk Hartog Island—once a high biodiversity island—is no exception. In this presentation, I outline the strategy and techniques used in the current feral cat eradication campaign on this island.
3.45 pm: Establishing a national network of feral cat-free areas (AWC)
Atticus Fleming
Australian Wildlife Conservancy is implementing a multi-layered approach to feral cat control:
- implementing best practice in existing strategies including direct control (eg, trapping, shooting and indigenous tracking) and indirect control (management of ground cover and dingoes)
- investing in new approaches, especially gene drive technology; and
- establishing a national network of large feral cat-free areas (eg, up to 100,000 ha).
Recognising it is important for the sector to invest in a range of strategies, the establishment of large feral cat free areas is important because:
- it is the only available strategy likely to deliver successful conservation for the most highly vulnerable mammals (eg, that currently survive only in cat-free areas);
- it is the only strategy likely to enable the restoration of natural populations (ie, a diversity and abundance of animals in a landscape similar to 150+ years ago); and
- it often delivers the greatest ecological return on investment.
Click on the speakers name below to view their presentation.
Sally box
The Threatened Species Commissioner
Paul Thomas
Future technologies for feral predator control.
Di Evans
Implementing humane and responsible feral cat control.
Peter Lacey
Dryandra Woylie / Numbat Project
Vandana Subroy
Stakeholder preferences for wildlife and feral predator management.
Andrew Reeves
The process to declare feral cats
Margaret Byrne
Gene editing for invasive species control.
Bruce Webber
Case studies of feral cat management.
Rowan Hegglun
Integrated Management of Vertebrate pests within fragmented landscapes.
John Woinarski
Feral cats…. the facts speak for themselves. Or do they?
Owain Edwards
The CRISPR toolkit for genetic biocontrol of invasive species.
Vanessa Westcott
Bush Heritage Australia: Tackling the threat of feral cats.
Dave Algar
Cat eradication on Dirk Hartog Island.
Gaye MacKenzie
The impacts of feral cats on Australian wildlife.
Scott Thompson
Detection dogs and their role in feral cat management.
Rachel Paltridge / Christine Ellis
Indigenous Rangers integrate old and new technologies to manage cats.
Atticus Fleming
A national network of cat-free areas.
Image credits on this page
[Peel-Harvey Catchment Council]
