Increasing knowledge to mitigate cat impacts on biodiversity: Research program focal area 5 – Population ecology and behaviour
Addressing research priorities
Would you like to undertake high-impact research that really makes a difference? WABSI consults extensively with end users and stakeholders to identify priority biodiversity science knowledge needs. This helps us develop timely and relevant programs that address critical needs and have a strong pathway to adoption.
Developing projects that address key end user priorities can help maximise project funding opportunities and will lift the impact of your research.
To work with the WABSI collaboration of partners in addressing priority issues, submit a project abstract. (Please demonstrate a clear alignment with one or more priority knowledge gaps.)
Focal area 5 – Population ecology and behaviour
| OUTCOMES | OBJECTIVES | KNOWLEDGE GAPS |
| The impact of landscape attributes, land use, fire and grazing on cat ecology and behaviour is understood and used to refine and improve control techniques The population dynamics of cats, including abundance, densities, social structures and gene flow, is understood in regard to predation threat and cat control efficacy and can subsequently be used to improve control options Fewer pet cats become strays; and fewer strays become feral The extent of land (and the number of wildlife populations) benefitting from effective cat management is significantly increased | Improved techniques to effectively monitor feral cat populations (abundance, range, dynamics) Quantify how cat ecology and behaviour responds to control methods and outcomes, landscape attributes (including prey species’ dynamics), land use (e.g. grazing) and events such as fire Characterise the genetic structuring and gene flow within cat populations to understand spatial movements, metapopulational structure and effective population sizes Understand the extent of recruitment across the spectrum of cat groupings (pet, stray and feral), and mechanisms that can be used to disrupt the ingress of pets to strays and strays to feral cats | 12. Indirect management measures 13. Cat behaviour (bait avoidance, social structure, reinvasion) 14. More effective cat population monitoring |