The Peel-Harvey Catchment Council (PHCC) was excited to host Australia’s first Threatened Species Commissioner, Gregory Andrews to launch two new exciting projects in the upper catchment area this week.
The two projects focus on feral animal control, specifically feral cats. To date feral cats endanger at least 142 native species, more than one third of our threatened mammals, reptiles, frogs and birds.
Included in this list are two small iconic Western Australian mammals, the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) and the woylie (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi). Both of these species are listed as endangered with the proposed Dryandra Woodland National Park being home to one of the few remaining natural populations of both species.
Department of Parks and Wildlife are continuing work to help restore and maintain healthy populations of numbats and woylies within Dryandra Woodland through building a new predator proof compound and programs such as Western Shield, along with other initiatives. Adjacent landholders are also working with the department, and now the PHCC to undertake feral animal control on their properties, which helps to give these endangered species have a fighting chance.
In recognition of this and in an effort to complement the efforts of Parks and Wildlife, in April 2017 the PHCC confirmed their support of two projects which focus on feral cat and fox control on land close to and surrounding the Dryandra Woodland.
The first project, Farmers 4 Fauna, focuses on supporting private landholders neighbouring Dryandra. On April 6 over 30 landholders, local and state Government partners and Mr Andrews gathered at Barna Mia Animal Sanctuary to learn more about the project and engage with the presenters from DAFWA, Parks and Wildlife, Project Numbat and PHCC.
The second project involves a partnership with the Shire of Cuballing to manage feral cat monitoring and removal at Popanyinning Waste Disposal Site. This project was launched on site the same day with Mr Andrews, Shire of Cuballing CEO and Councillors, WA Feral Animal Management representatives and PHCC representatives.
“The PHCC was delighted to have the Threatened Species Commissioner come to WA to launch these exciting projects,” PHCC chairman Andy Gulliver said.
“Feral cats have such a significant impact on our native wildlife, and also detrimentally affect agricultural productivity so it was an easy decision to support these initiatives. We look forward to working with our project partners and landholders to help save some of our most iconic native marsupials that we are so fortunate to have in our catchment, and we want to ensure that our children and grandchildren still have the chance to see our treasured furry friends in the wild”.
These projects are supported by the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.
