The University Club of Western Australia, Hackett Drive, Crawley WA 6009. 
13-15 February 2023

Monday

15.30 – 16.00 Arrival and Registration

16.00 – 16.10 
Welcome and acknowledgement of Country Kath Broderick MC
Introduction and aspirations Susan Hunt & Judy Dunlop (WA Feral Cat Working Group)

16.10 – 16.32
Creating a future for endangered species – Collaborative research into feral cat management Tony Buckmaster (Centre for Invasive Species Solutions)
Feral/stray/pet: Definitions matter when managing cats Jenni Loveland (Oyster Harbour Catchment Group)
Challenges in achieving humane and effective feral cat control Talia Morgan (RSPCA Australia)
Assessment of feral cats in Dryandra, Western Australia Heather Crawford (Murdoch University)
Managing feral cats in a multi-tenure landscape Jeff Pinder (Bush Heritage Australia)

Tuesday 

09.00 – 09.20 
Welcome Kath Broderick MC
Welcome to Noongar Country Brett Collard (Dooga Waalitj Healing)
Opening address Julie Quinn (Office of the Threatened Species Commissioner)

09.20 – 9.40
Progressing cat management in WA, the last four years Jane O’Malley (Peel-Harvey Catchment Council & Bruce Webber (WA Biodiversity Science Institute)
What does the future of feral cat control look like in Australia? Owain Edwards, Di Evans, Gay Mackenzie

9.40 – 10.10 Plenary Speakers
NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub Sarah Legge Australian National University/Charles Darwin University
30 years of feral cat management in WA Dave Algar Biodiversity Conservation Science

10.20 – 10.50 Morning Tea

10.50 – 11.25 Threatened species management and success stories
Looking after threatened species and controlling cats: The Anangu way Jodie Ward (Kiwirrkurra IPA)
Protecting threatened species on Ngururrpa Country Angie Reid (Ngururrpa Rangers)
Do feral megaherbivores facilitate feral cat activity in high-rainfall savannas? Georgina Neave (Charles Darwin University)

11.35 – 12.15 Feral cats and people: cat legislation and social license
How should we talk about cats? Insights from recent public polling and focus group research James Trezise (Invasive Species Council)
Effective management needs to be more than just numbers, you need a plan Gillian Basnett (Centre for Invasive Species Solutions)
Meeting in the middle: Managing stray cat populations in Australia Heather Crawford (Murdoch University)
Feral cats – Community engagement across a landscape Cynthia Schaap (Landcare Tasmania)

12.25 – 13.25 Lunch

13.25 – 13.55 Plenary Speakers
‘Herding Cats’: Challenges and opportunities of individual variability in managing cats John Read (Thylation group)
AI and automation for cat monitoringTrish Fleming (Murdoch University)

14.05 – 14.55 Improved and emerging management techniques
Feral cat management and environmental approvals Graham Thompson (Terrestrial Ecosystems)
Potential for improving feral cat baiting efficiency by integrating habitat selection data Ned Ryan-Schofield (Bush Heritage Australia)
Immunocontraceptives for feral cat control in Australia Ellen Cottingham (University of Melbourne)
Developing pipelines for vertebrate genetic biocontrol Stephen Frankenberg (University of Melbourne)

14.55 – 15.40 Afternoon Tea

15.40 – 16.20 Threatened species management and success stories
Western Shield: Landscape scale feral cat management Ashley Millar (Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions)
A comparison of toxic baits for feral cat and fox control in southwest Western Australia: An adaptive management experiment testing the effectiveness of cat management in complex management areas Michelle Drew (Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions)
Feral cats, Kyloring [Western Ground Parrot] and conservation on the south coast of WA Abby Thomas (Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions)
The use of artificial refuges by small vertebrates after prescribed fire Darcy Watchorn (Deakin University)
A neighbourhood approach to feral cat management to protect Numbats in Dryandra Woodland Christine Townsend (Peel-Harvey Catchment Council)

16.20 – 16.32 Speed Talks
Dryandra Woodland National Park life after feral cats Peter Lacey (Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions)
Intensive adoption as a management strategy for unowned, urban cats Michael Calver (Murdoch University)
Here kitty-kitty: Lure choice for predator attraction in a temperate rainforest Alexandra Paton (University of Tasmania)

18.00 Conference Dinner

Wednesday

09.00 – 09.15 
Welcome Kath Broderick MC
Guest speaker Hon Reece Whitby MLA Minister for Environment; Climate Action

9.15 – 9.45 Plenary Speakers
The journey of a WA local council in changing cat ownership laws Adin Lang (City of Fremantle)
Gene technology and its potential for pest control Paul Thomas (The University of Adelaide)

9.55 – 10.25 Morning Tea

10.25 – 11.15 Threatened species management and success stories
Trialling the use of Felixers on the Birriliburu Indigenous Protected Area Delston Ashwin & Tremaine Anderson (Birriliburu Rangers)
Cats on Country – The journey of Nyangumarta Rangers managing cats on their country Jacob Loughridge (Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation)
The importance of flexibility and persistence in feral cat management Amanda Bourne (Australian Wildlife Conservancy)
Managing feral cats to protect the Central Rock-rat Alistair Stewart (Northern Territory Department of Environment Parks and Water Security)

11.25 – 12.10 Improved and emerging management techniques
Cats are attracted to successful conservation efforts Hugh McGregor (Nature Foundation)
Efficacy of targeted cat control at Yampi Sound Training Area Braden Riles (Australian Wildlife Conservancy)
Testing the use of Felixer- grooming traps to control cats in the jarrah forest of Western Australia Brian Chambers (South West Catchments Council)
What is the temporal and spatial scale of impacts of a novel feral cat control method on cat activity? Michelle Hall (Bush Heritage Australia)
Felixer Feral Cat Grooming Trap trials in the presence of Northern Quolls in the Pilbara region of Western Australia Todd Edwards (Fortescue Metals Group)

13.20 – 13.50 Plenary Speakers
Managing predator impacts for a resilient landscape Guy Ballard (Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Department of Primary industry NSW)
Improving the outlook for Australia’s native species Katherine Moseby (University of New South Wales)

14.00 – 14.40 Managing predators in a complex environment: interactive threats
Feral cat responses to fire: New field data and a review Tim Doherty (The University of Sydney)
The curious cat: Feral cat activity at artificial refuges Tenaya Duncan (Murdoch University)
The ecology of feral cats on the south coast of Western Australia Sarah Comer (University of Western Australia / Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions)
Monitoring and managing feral cats in an arid landscape Cheryl Lohr (Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions)

14.50 – 15.22 Improved and emerging management techniques
Setting the scene for failure: Victorian feral cat legislation, social license dimensions and the French Island feral cat eradication project Michael Johnston (Environmental Consultant)
Towards a feral cat free Kangaroo Island James Smith (Kangaroo Island Landscape Board)
A case study: Improving the efficiency of feral cat control in one of Australia’s Special Places Paul Jennings (Kangaroo Island Landscape Board)
Feral cat impacts on a threatened endemic marsupial in the wake of the Black Summer Bushfires – NGO response to protect the Kangaroo Island Dunnart Pat Hodgens (Terrain Ecology)

15.42 Afternoon Tea

15.45 (Optional) Karakamia Sanctuary for BBQ and night stalk