The Scott Coastal Plan is a unique landscape of just over 105,000 hectares in the southwest of Western Australia. It is recognised for its exceptional species richness, diversity of vegetation complexes, and high concentrations of rare, restricted and threatened ecological communities. The areas agricultural land is highly productive and is treasured by those who live and work there. Locals and tourists enjoy the coastal plain for its beautiful coastline, national parks and conservation reserves. The Wadandi-Pibulmen people have a long spiritual and economic connection to this land (Boodja), with archaeological evidence suggesting that humans were in the area by 48,000 BP. Hearths, bones, stone artefacts, the Kybra rock engravings, and several other Aboriginal heritage sites reveal the long culture of the first inhabitants in the region.
Over the past 3 years, the Lower Blackwood LCDC and the Lower Blackwood Vertebrate Pest Management Group (LBVPMG) have been implementing a State NRM-funded strategic feral pig monitoring and trapping program.
The monitoring undertaken during this program identified that feral cats pose a significant threat to the biodiversity and cultural values of the Scott Coastal Plain, which led us to identify the need for a collaborative, strategic, multi-year control program to tackle this issue. This Feral Cat Focus Project will work alongside our Feral Pig Focus Project by maintaining the existing monitoring sites to maximise data quality, utilising the LBVPMG field officers for monitoring and control, and providing adequate and long-term resourcing.
We will work collaboratively with the LBVPMG, landholders, plantation companies, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Traditional Owners and the Shires of Augusta-Margaret River and Nannup to undertake priority feral cat monitoring and control work to protect the Scott Coastal Plain (SCP).
This project is supported by funding from the State Government’s Feral Cat Management Grants. Funding is delivered by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s State Natural Resource Management (NRM) program in partnership with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions. It is facilitated through a continuing collaboration between the Lower Blackwood LCDC and the Lower Blackwood Vertebrate Pest Management Group
