22 August 2018
Collaborative research between the Northern Territory Government, the Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub, the Threatened Species Recovery Hub and Parks Australia has found that feral cat exclosures have a positive impact on local reptile populations. Led by Dr Graeme Gillespie from the NT Government, the research undertaken in Kakadu National Park and published in Biological Conservation found that reptile abundance increased at twice the rate in plots that excluded cats compared to cat-accessible plots. The research also found that the combination of feral cats and high intensity fires adversely impacted local reptile abundance. This work continued as part of another Northern Hub project, Investigating feral cats in small mammal decline which found that small and medium-sized mammals make up almost 75% of the diet of feral cats in Kakadu. Read the wrap-up factsheet from that project here.
Predator-proof fence in Kakadu National Park, photo Northern Territory Government.