How the Australian Government is dealing with a national problem
Predation by feral cats is listed as a key threatening process under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act). Under the EPBC Act, the Australian Government in consultation with the states and territories has developed the Threat Abatement Plan for Predation by Feral Cats.
The threat abatement plan aims to reduce the impact of feral cats on native wildlife by:
* implementing feral cat control programs in identified regions of high conservation priority
* encouraging the development and application of innovative, humane feral cat control methods
* collecting and disseminating information to improve our understanding of the ecology of feral cats in Australia, their impacts and humane methods to control them
* educating land managers and others about feral cat impacts to ensure their skilled and effective participation in control activities.
Feral cat control programs need to be coordinated with other activities that may be taking place, including the on-ground protection of threatened plants and animals and control of other invasive species such as rabbits and foxes. The threat abatement plan provides a framework that will enable the best use of the resources available for feral cat management. The Australian Government will continue to work with the states and territories in dealing with this national problem.
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/cat/index.html