Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01747:reg:4:p5
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01747
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 4 (pt 5/80)
Character Range: 16820–20105

legislation.

The Australian Government supports coordinated national efforts to control invasive species, including through the development of threat abatement plans, like this one, for listed key threatening processes.

These threat abatement plans provide the framework for coordinated and efficient national effort by identifying ambitious new actions and encouraging continued action. In doing so, they take a multi-pronged approach, presenting a comprehensive suite of the actions that, if implemented by the relevant identified parties, are expected to significantly improve threat abatement in the interests of threatened species recovery in Australia.

Furthermore, threat abatement plans present a way for all parties with a role in managing the key threatening process, in this case feral cats, to achieve more significant outcomes by avoiding duplication of effort, facilitating knowledge and resource sharing, building consistency in management approaches, addressing cross-border issues, and collaboratively addressing stakeholder interests and concerns. They are also used by the Australian Government, and others, to guide related investments. Implementing actions and contributing to achievement of this plan's objectives, requires the combined efforts of governments, together with the actions of landholders, communities, cat owners, First Nations peoples, the private sector and non-government organisations (NGO) who deliver biodiversity protection and conservation.

The Commonwealth must implement a threat abatement plan to the extent to which it applies in Commonwealth areas, and Commonwealth legislation allows threat abatement plans to be made jointly with interested states and territories.

This threat abatement plan has been developed, and should be implemented, in accordance with the following principles:

   1.        Stakeholder groups with interests in cat management and welfare should be respectfully engaged.

   2.        The management of feral cats should incorporate and support the management objectives and expertise of First Nations people, and be appropriate to local contexts including local cultural values and perspectives.

   3.        Programs to reduce cat impacts should use actions that are justified by optimising biodiversity outcomes, overall humaneness, and the sustainability of the action(s).

   4.        Cat management should occur within an evidence-based and adaptive management framework, where monitoring leads to continual improvements in knowledge and refinement of management actions.

   5.        Feral cat management should consider a broad ecological context – where applicable, including potential consequences on other feral animals, and conducted in a manner that integrates pest control for biodiversity outcomes.

   6.        The priority accorded to the management of feral cats should be commensurate with the ongoing severe impacts of cat predation on much of Australia's fauna, including many threatened species, and with the magnitude of beneficial impacts likely to arise from feral cat control.

This threat abatement plan sets a long-term goal, with a 30-year horizon:

    To reduce the impacts of cats sufficiently to ensure the long-term viability of all affected native species.

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