Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017C00220:reg:2:p2
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017C00220
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2 (pt 2/20)
Character Range: 31567–34522

focus on encouraging and facilitating practical interventions and providing control options for feral cats, and have been divided amongst the four objectives. However, there is overlap for some actions between the different objectives and readers may determine that an action would provide them a better outcome under an alternative objective. For example, the development of alternative strategies to conventional control will assist in effectively managing feral cats in different landscapes.

Objective 1 Effectively control feral cats in different landscapes
Predation by cats is a threat that needs to be interpreted and managed according to the landscape type and particular pressures in the area being managed. The landscape in which feral cats are being managed will determine which tools are most effective to use (for example, management in an alpine boulder field will be quite different to a tropical floodplain). Timing of management is also critical to achieve threatened species protection (for example, timing to protect ground nesting birds, or in anticipation of or at the end of mouse/rat/rabbit plagues when the abundant feral cats are switching to other prey resources such as small threatened mammals). Site specific characteristics also need to be taken into account including the potential for immigration of new cats to the area, other management actions that are being undertaken (for example, prescribed burning) and other predators being controlled (for example, European red foxes) or conserved (for example, dingoes). The degree of control required to achieve the desired outcome (for example, recovery of threatened species) must also be determined. Ensuring the management plan is interpreted and appropriately implemented for the area is important so that control programs for feral cats achieve the outcome of reduced predation of threatened, near-threatened and other native species.
While this threat abatement plan is focused on the impact on biodiversity, feral cats also have an impact on agriculture through spreading disease and on tourism by reducing the numbers of unique Australian species to be seen.
This objective builds on two ongoing research streams: first, research into new control options that will reduce land managers' expenditure on time-intensive, skilled labour; and secondly, research on the roles of feral cats within landscapes and how a range of land management practices may be used or manipulated to exert additional pressure on feral cats. This can include possible suppression by other predators, exploitation by feral cats of phenomena such as fire and prey irruptions, the sites to which cats and/or their prey retreat during tough times such as drought, and the role of cat-borne diseases. When research and development are being undertaken, evaluation of the success of control options for feral cats needs to consider how the biodiversity outcomes can be monitored as well as knowing