Explore ARDC

RAiD https://raid.org/10.71613/18ae7426
NESP RL Project 2.2 - Best-practice management of feral cats and red foxes

Dates

Start Date
01-May-2022
End Date
31-Dec-2026

Titles

Title
NESP RL Project 2.2 - Best-practice management of feral cats and red foxes
Title Type
Primary
Title Type:
Primary
 Preferred full description or abstract.
Start Date
01-May-2022
End Date
31-Dec-2026
Language
English

Descriptions

Description

Feral cats and red foxes inflict unsustainable damage on many of Australia’s threatened species but land managers lack clear guidance on how to implement best-practice management of these pests.

The Australian Government’s Threatened Species Action Plan 2022–2032 identifies best-practice management of cats and foxes in its Targets 8 and 9, so it is urgent that land managers, especially those focused on priority species and priority places, have clear guidance on how to plan, implement and review their programs.

Research into feral-cat management is active in most Australian states and territories, so the project is working with expert practitioners to describe the elements that constitute best-practice management of feral cats and red foxes for a range of functional groupings (e.g. by ecoregion and management problem). The project is also collaborating with these experts to clearly identify vital knowledge gaps that should become the focus for research that is improving feral-cat and red-fox management outcomes.

The project is being conducted in 2 discrete phases:

a focused, proof-of-concept workshop for feral-cat management with members of the National Feral Cat Taskforce, key hub researchers and other selected expert practitioners from across Australia developing an online decision tool for feral-cat managers, via an expert-elicitation process. The 2-step process above will then be repeated for red-fox management.

The project has completed its feral cat management phase, including the development of an online decision-support tool for feral cat managers. A national expert workshop on red fox management has also been completed, and the project is now developing a red fox decision-support tool.

Together, these tools will help managers estimate the likely success and relative cost of different management options, link to relevant resources, and design more effective projects to suppress feral cats and red foxes for threatened-species recovery.

Key research areas

This project is supporting best-practice management of feral cats and red foxes by:

  • using expert workshops to to describe the elements that constitute best-practice management of feral cats and red foxes
  • improving engagement with Indigenous land managers for the management of feral cats and foxes, particularly to broaden the understanding of best-practice management and to identify research gaps that would improve future management across a wider area
  • assessing the key knowledge gaps that would support improved best-practice management
  • engaging with natural-resource management groups to ensure tools are designed to meet the needs of on-ground managers
  • developing online decision-support tools for feral cat and red fox management.

Pathway to impact

This project will support management of feral cats and red foxes by:

  • providing practical online tools to help managers plan integrated pest-management programs
  • helping users estimate the likely success and relative costs of different management options
  • identifying key knowledge gaps and research priorities for invasive predator management
  • supporting better project design, threat abatement planning and threatened-species recovery actions.
Description Type

Primary
Description Type:

Primary

 Preferred full description or abstract
Language
English

Contributors

Name Annalie Dorph ORCID Logo (unauthenticated)
Contributor ID ORCID Logo https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8133-080X (unauthenticated)
Leader
Yes
Contact
Yes
Positions
Position
Principal or Chief Investigator
Position:
Principal or Chief Investigator
 Principal investigator refers to the person(s) in charge of a research project
Start Date
18-Jul-2022
End Date
---
Roles
No Entries
Name Guy Ballard ORCID Logo (unauthenticated)
Contributor ID ORCID Logo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0287-9720 (unauthenticated)
Leader
Yes
Contact
Yes
Positions
Position
Principal or Chief Investigator
Position:
Principal or Chief Investigator
 Principal investigator refers to the person(s) in charge of a research project
Start Date
18-Jul-2022
End Date
---
Roles
No Entries

Organisations

Name
University of New England

Roles
Role
Lead Research Organisation
Role:
Lead Research Organisation
 The research organistion administratively responsible for the project; administering organisation
Start Date
2022-07-18
End Date
---

RelatedObjects

Citation
Dorph, A., Ballard, G., Legge, S., Algar, D., Basnett, G., Buckmaster, T., Dunlop, J., Edwards, A. M., Hine, A., Knight, A. R., Marshall, E., McColl-Gausden, S. C., Pauza, M. D., & Penman, T. D. (2024). Current and emerging feral cat management practices in Australia. Wildlife Research, 51(6).
Type
Journal Article
Categories
Output
Citation
Dorph, A., Legge, S., Penman, T. D., Cherubin, R., Elliot‐Kerr, S., Marshall, E., Parkins, K., & Ballard, G.-A. (2026). Using expert elicitation to predict feral cat, Felis catus , responses to management. Pest Management Science, 82(5), 4488–4498. Portico.
Type
Journal Article
Categories
Output
Citation
Dorph, A. (2025). Preprocessed dataset associated with research article "Using expert elicitation to predict feral cat, Felis catus, responses to management" [Dataset]. University of New England.
Type
Dataset
Categories
Output
Citation
Dorph, A. (2025). Code for analysis used in paper "Using expert elicitation to predict feral cat, Felis catus, responses to management" [Dataset]. University of New England.
Type
Dataset
Categories
Output
Citation
---
Type
Report
Categories
Output
Citation
---
Type
Report
Categories
Output
Citation
---
Type
Software
Categories
Output
Citation
---
Type
Software
Categories
Output
Citation
---
Type
Report
Categories
Output
Citation
---
Type
Text
Categories
Output

Alternate Identifier

No Entries

Alternate URLs

Related RAiDs

Title
NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub (10.71821/ffc970c8)
Relation
IsPartOf
Relation:
IsPartOf
 Relates a subproject back to its parent project

Access

Type
Open Access
Type:
Open Access
 Open access refers to a resource that is immediately and permanently online, and free for all on the Web, without financial and technical barriers.The resource is either stored in the repository or referenced to an external journal or trustworthy archive.
Language
---
Text
---
Embargo Expiry
---

Subjects

No Entries

Raw Data

{
  "access": {
    "type": {
      "id": "https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/access_rights/c_abf2/",
      "schemaUri": "https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/access_rights/"
    }
  },
  "alternateIdentifier": [],
  "alternateUrl": [
    {
      "url": "https://nesplandscapes.edu.au/projects/nesp-rlh/cats-and-foxes/"
    }
  ],
  "contributor": [
    {
      "contact": true,
      "id": "https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8133-080X",
      "leader": true,
      "position": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/contributor.position.schema/307",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/contributor.position.schema/305",
          "startDate": "2022-07-18"
        }
      ],
      "role": [],
      "schemaUri": "https://orcid.org/",
      "status": "AWAITING_AUTHENTICATION",
      "uuid": "013c4727-7ab6-46d2-bed8-f58b5821e569"
    },
    {
      "contact": true,
      "id": "https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0287-9720",
      "leader": true,
      "position": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/contributor.position.schema/307",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/contributor.position.schema/305",
          "startDate": "2022-07-18"
        }
      ],
      "role": [],
      "schemaUri": "https://orcid.org/",
      "status": "AWAITING_AUTHENTICATION",
      "uuid": "3710949d-ff8a-4c14-bca3-e917644b6bf2"
    }
  ],
  "date": {
    "endDate": "2026-12-31",
    "startDate": "2022-05-01"
  },
  "description": [
    {
      "language": {
        "id": "eng",
        "schemaUri": "https://www.iso.org/standard/74575.html"
      },
      "text": "Feral cats and red foxes inflict unsustainable damage on many of Australia’s threatened species but land managers lack clear guidance on how to implement best-practice management of these pests.\n\nThe Australian Government’s Threatened Species Action Plan 2022–2032 identifies best-practice management of cats and foxes in its Targets 8 and 9, so it is urgent that land managers, especially those focused on priority species and priority places, have clear guidance on how to plan, implement and review their programs.\n\nResearch into feral-cat management is active in most Australian states and territories, so the project is working with expert practitioners to describe the elements that constitute best-practice management of feral cats and red foxes for a range of functional groupings (e.g. by ecoregion and management problem). The project is also collaborating with these experts to clearly identify vital knowledge gaps that should become the focus for research that is improving feral-cat and red-fox management outcomes.\n\nThe project is being conducted in 2 discrete phases:\n\na focused, proof-of-concept workshop for feral-cat management with members of the National Feral Cat Taskforce, key hub researchers and other selected expert practitioners from across Australia\ndeveloping an online decision tool for feral-cat managers, via an expert-elicitation process.\nThe 2-step process above will then be repeated for red-fox management.\n\nThe project has completed its feral cat management phase, including the development of an online decision-support tool for feral cat managers. A national expert workshop on red fox management has also been completed, and the project is now developing a red fox decision-support tool.\n\nTogether, these tools will help managers estimate the likely success and relative cost of different management options, link to relevant resources, and design more effective projects to suppress feral cats and red foxes for threatened-species recovery.\n\n### Key research areas\nThis project is supporting best-practice management of feral cats and red foxes by:\n* using expert workshops to to describe the elements that constitute best-practice management of feral cats and red foxes\n* improving engagement with Indigenous land managers for the management of feral cats and foxes, particularly to broaden the understanding of best-practice management and to identify research gaps that would improve future management across a wider area\n* assessing the key knowledge gaps that would support improved best-practice management\n* engaging with natural-resource management groups to ensure tools are designed to meet the needs of on-ground managers\n* developing online decision-support tools for feral cat and red fox management.\n\n### Pathway to impact\nThis project will support management of feral cats and red foxes by:\n* providing practical online tools to help managers plan integrated pest-management programs\n* helping users estimate the likely success and relative costs of different management options\n* identifying key knowledge gaps and research priorities for invasive predator management\n* supporting better project design, threat abatement planning and threatened-species recovery actions.",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/description.type.schema/318",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/description.type.schema/320"
      }
    }
  ],
  "identifier": {
    "id": "https://raid.org/10.71613/18ae7426",
    "license": "Creative Commons CC-0",
    "owner": {
      "id": "https://ror.org/01db6n192",
      "schemaUri": "https://ror.org/",
      "servicePoint": 20000011,
      "servicePointName": "Resilient Landscapes Hub - National Environmental Science Program"
    },
    "raidAgencyUrl": "https://static.prod.raid.org.au/raids/10.71613/18ae7426",
    "registrationAgency": {
      "id": "https://ror.org/038sjwq14",
      "schemaUri": "https://ror.org/"
    },
    "schemaUri": "https://raid.org/",
    "version": 16
  },
  "metadata": {
    "created": 1754969939,
    "updated": 1789703898
  },
  "organisation": [
    {
      "id": "https://ror.org/04r659a56",
      "role": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/organisation.role.schema/182",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/organisation.role.schema/359",
          "startDate": "2022-07-18"
        }
      ],
      "schemaUri": "https://ror.org/"
    }
  ],
  "relatedObject": [
    {
      "category": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.id/190",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.schemaUri/386"
        }
      ],
      "id": "https://doi.org/10.1071/WR23107",
      "schemaUri": "https://doi.org/",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/250",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/329"
      }
    },
    {
      "category": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.id/190",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.schemaUri/386"
        }
      ],
      "id": "https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70566",
      "schemaUri": "https://doi.org/",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/250",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/329"
      }
    },
    {
      "category": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.id/190",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.schemaUri/386"
        }
      ],
      "id": "https://doi.org/10.25952/ngs7-7a32",
      "schemaUri": "https://doi.org/",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/269",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/329"
      }
    },
    {
      "category": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.id/190",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.schemaUri/386"
        }
      ],
      "id": "https://doi.org/10.25952/vy5x-a734",
      "schemaUri": "https://doi.org/",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/269",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/329"
      }
    },
    {
      "category": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.id/190",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.schemaUri/386"
        }
      ],
      "id": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260909064834/https://biocollect.ala.org.au/document/download/2026-06/Current-and-emerging-feral-cat-managements-practices-in-Australia-report.pdf",
      "schemaUri": "https://web.archive.org/",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/252",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/329"
      }
    },
    {
      "category": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.id/190",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.schemaUri/386"
        }
      ],
      "id": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260909070420/https://biocollect.ala.org.au/document/download/2026-06/Best-practice-management-of-cats-and-foxes-workshop-2-outcomes-report.pdf",
      "schemaUri": "https://web.archive.org/",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/252",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/329"
      }
    },
    {
      "category": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.id/190",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.schemaUri/386"
        }
      ],
      "id": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260909065748/https://pestresearch.shinyapps.io/FoxControlTool/",
      "schemaUri": "https://web.archive.org/",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/259",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/329"
      }
    },
    {
      "category": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.id/190",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.schemaUri/386"
        }
      ],
      "id": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260909070156/https://pestresearch.shinyapps.io/FeralCatDecisionToolDev/",
      "schemaUri": "https://web.archive.org/",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/259",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/329"
      }
    },
    {
      "category": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.id/190",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.schemaUri/386"
        }
      ],
      "id": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260909072733/https://biocollect.ala.org.au/document/download/2026-06/NESP_FoxWorkshopReport_20250414.pdf",
      "schemaUri": "https://web.archive.org/",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/252",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/329"
      }
    },
    {
      "category": [
        {
          "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.id/190",
          "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.category.schemaUri/386"
        }
      ],
      "id": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260909070831/https://nesplandscapes.edu.au/2022/11/29/what-are-the-best-ways-to-manage-feral-cats/",
      "schemaUri": "https://web.archive.org/",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/265",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedObject.type.schema/329"
      }
    }
  ],
  "relatedRaid": [
    {
      "id": "https://raid.org/10.71821/ffc970c8",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedRaid.type.schema/202",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/relatedRaid.type.schema/367"
      }
    }
  ],
  "spatialCoverage": [],
  "subject": [],
  "title": [
    {
      "endDate": "2026-12-31",
      "language": {
        "id": "eng",
        "schemaUri": "https://www.iso.org/standard/74575.html"
      },
      "startDate": "2022-05-01",
      "text": "NESP RL Project 2.2 - Best-practice management of feral cats and red foxes",
      "type": {
        "id": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/title.type.schema/5",
        "schemaUri": "https://vocabulary.raid.org/title.type.schema/376"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Page generated: