Objective 2 Improve effectiveness of exiObjective 2 Improve effectiveness of existing control options for feral cats

Objective 2 Improve effectiveness of existing control options for feral cats

Objective 2 focuses on delivering management options to land managers and ensuring they are able to conduct control programs effectively according to current best practice techniques and knowledge. Linking land managers with the outputs from research will improve programs for threatened species recovery where predation by feral cats is a contributing factor. In this threat abatement plan land managers are considered to encompass any person or group that has a responsibility for land management including individual land owners, community groups, Indigenous people caring for their country, non-government organsiations, NRM bodies, and government agencies managing parks and reserves.

Action 2.1 Understand motivations and provide incentives for land managers to include feral cat management into standard land management for biodiversity outcomes

Land managers are typically very busy with competing priorities for management activities and this action is intended to provide improved support for these people and groups. Action 2.1 is a behavioural science focused action to determine the motivations and best incentives (and possible penalties if necessary) to encourage land managers to include a cat management program into their many activities. Understanding what is required to build and maintain social licence and pressure to control feral cats can help governments and other agencies to provide leverage for feral cat control. This action can include groups of people across tenures or action by volunteer groups for land managers to conduct feral cat control programs. Naturally, the outcome of this action will assist in the delivery of training material in Action 2.2 below.

Action 2.2 Provide information, in various media and through training, on best practice methods and standard operating procedures for controlling and monitoring feral cats

Action 2.2 focuses on providing training material to land managers, community groups etc. so that they can access information on the best way to undertake both monitoring and control for feral cats in their landscape. Land managers are rarely experts on feral cats so being able to provide this information will take the guesswork out of when and how to control and monitor. The information and training should be linked not only to the control of the feral cats but also to ensuring that the outcome (for example, recovery of a particular threatened species) is going to be achieved. It also provides an opportunity for researchers and land managers to collaborate to improve the on-ground outcomes, and for land managers to form collaborative links to undertake cross-tenure control programs.

There is information on feral cats, monitoring methods, and standard operating procedures on the PestSmart Connect website (Invasive Animals CRC) that may assist in the implementation of this action. Action 2.2 also has links with action 1.5 to provide an analysis of the costs and benefits of management strategies for feral cats so that land managers have an economic understanding of their actions.