Our Purpose
To improve the trajectory of WA native fauna conservation outcomes through collaborative, effective, resource-efficient and humane management of feral cats.
Feral cats pose a significant threat to many nationally listed threatened species across Australia. They are a threat for 124 listed threatened species, and implicated in 28 mammal extinctions. In Western Australia they are a significant threat to native fauna across all regions, covering multiple land tenures.
The Western Australian Feral Cat Working Group (the Working Group) provides a strategic focal point for feral cat management in the state. The Working Group provides links to the National Feral Cat Taskforce and the Western Australian Biosecurity Council to drive delivery of more effective, resource-efficient and humane feral cat management outcomes in Western Australia by a tenure-blind, context specific approach to:
- communicating and linking initiatives, innovations and progress on managing feral cat threats;
- building and sharing knowledge and education on managing feral cat threats and management opportunities and techniques available in WA;
- building relevant partnerships and cooperation on feral cat management;
- coordinating and facilitating a prioritised and collaborative approach to addressing knowledge gaps for cat management via research; and
- providing a unified access point for information, data and methodologies on feral cat management activity.
The focus of the Working Group will be guided at a higher level by priorities at the State and National level, including:
- The Australian Government’s Threatened Species Strategy 2021-2031, and Threatened Species Action Plan 2021-2026 with reference where relevant to the 100 Priority Species,
- The National Threat abatement plan for predation by feral cats
- The Western Australian Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007; and the WA Feral Cat Policy
- The Western Australian Cat Act 2011, and
- The Western Australian Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016
For more information
Download the Terms of Reference here
