Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01747:reg:4:p46
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01747
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 4 (pt 46/80)
Character Range: 154700–161148

this has proven successful for reducing feral cat density and impacts around bilby sites in the Kiwirrkurra Indigenous Protected Area – see section 6.4 in the background document).
                                                                                                                        * Where feasible, feral cat control programs should include monitoring for cat density/activity and outcomes for native species.
2.11                                                                                                               Maintain, enhance and update as required Codes of Practice (CoPs) and Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs), coordinated across jurisdictions, assessed using an updated relative humaneness index, and presented in a variety of formats to maximise accessibility to diverse stakeholder groups.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           High       Low             Commonwealth, state and territory governments; National Feral Cat and Fox Management Coordinator                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Starting in the period 2024-2029
Enhance knowledge/ Support management
2.12                                                                                                               Improve monitoring attached to feral cat control programs:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Very High  Low             Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN); Commonwealth, state and territory governments                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Starting immediately
                                                                                                                        * Develop national framework/standards for monitoring feral cat abundance/activity, impacts, and management effectiveness (i.e. the extent to which outcomes for native species are achieved), for different habitats and different stakeholder groups. These can be based on the guide to survey methods for cats that is available here: monitoring guidelines produced by the NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub; should be regularly updated; and be accessible to the practitioner network (Action 2.8).
                                                                                                                        * Continue to explore ways to improve existing methods (e.g. lures for camera and other traps; improved statistical approaches for estimating density when cats are difficult to identify individually) and incorporate new methods like eDNA sampling, artificial intelligence linked to camera arrays, into monitoring.
                                                                                                                        * Evaluate the effectiveness of feral cat control or cat prevention programs on private land, particularly the use of regulatory mechanisms (e.g. conservation covenants which generally prohibit the presence of domestic cats).
                                                                                                                   This action builds on the progress achieved by 'The Glovebox Guide for Managing Feral Cats' (PestSmart), and 'A guide to surveying red foxes and feral cats in Australia' (NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub Project 1.1.5 report).
2.13                                                                                                               Establish and maintain national databases for collating details of feral cat control programs, monitoring data and outcomes. Use these databases to:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Very High  Low             Commonwealth, state and territory governments                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Starting in the period 2024-2029
                                                                                                                        * Summarise information on the extent, benefits and any detriment of specific control options, including toxins, to ensure ongoing use is transparent and remains justified and effective design of control programs.
                                                                                                                        * Document the extent of recovery of native species for which feral cat control is an objective, based on appropriate monitoring of native species at sites subject to cat management, and nationally with respect to the conservation status of cat-susceptible species.
                                                                                                                        * Prepare reports on the level and nature of feral cat management and its outcomes, to table at Feral Cat Taskforce meetings, and to feed into relevant reporting