Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01747:reg:4:p24
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01747
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 4 (pt 24/80)
Character Range: 70370–73432

predator of nesting seabirds, including some threatened species, on Macquarie Island, and largely for that reason were eradicated in 2000, resulting in substantial recovery of several seabird species. There are no feral cats on Albatross Island, The Mewstone or Pedra Branca. Feral cats are not a major threat to black-eared miners, so control measures for feral cats are not a priority for the listed critical habitat for black-eared miners at Gluepot, Taylorville and Calperum. Feral cats are not a threat for Ginninderra peppercress, so control measures for feral cats are not a priority for the listed critical habitat for Ginninderra peppercress at Belconnen.

Of the 15 Australian World Heritage properties listed for present-day natural values, cats have been eradicated from the Lord Howe Island Group and Macquarie Island; have never occupied Heard Island and McDonald Islands; and have been eradicated from (or not colonised) some parts of Shark Bay (e.g. Dirk Hartog Island, Faure Island, Bernier and Dorre Islands). Cats are present and subject to some management at most other World Heritage properties (including Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, Great Barrier Reef, the Greater Blue Mountains Area, Kakadu National Park, K'gari (Fraser Island), Purnululu National Park, Tasmanian Wilderness, The Ningaloo Coast, Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, and the Wet Tropics of Queensland). At some of these properties, cats are having some impact on the natural values for which the properties were recognised. The natural values of many National Heritage listed places are also being impacted by cats.

Refer to sections 4.7 and 4.8 of the background document for further information and referenced sources.

     5 Cat management

Section 5 provides a brief overview of cat management. More information is available under the objectives in section 8, and sections 6 and 7 of the background document contains further information and referenced sources.

Cats are challenging to manage, but a research effort by many stakeholders over the past 10-20 years has increased the range of options available, and improved our knowledge of when and where each option works best. The current options are:

     *      Directly reducing feral cat numbers by:

     -          Exclusion or eradication from islands and purpose-built fenced areas on the mainland.

     -          Poisoning (e.g. using baits deployed from the ground or air, and Felixer™ grooming traps).

     -          Trapping and shooting.

     *      Indirectly reducing cat numbers or impacts by:

     -          Managing fire and grazing to maintain a complex ground vegetation layer (to reduce cats' hunting success).

     -          Manipulating species interactions, for example by reducing rabbit and introduced rodent populations.

Depending on location and context, and subject to further research, harnessing any control or moderating influence that dingoes or Tasmanian devils have over mesopredators (smaller predators, including feral cats) might