<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>328681</docID> <postdate>2024-09-09 09:02:30</postdate> <headline>Pet cats in crosshairs after invasive species review</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-232016" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gang-cats-Alaksa-e1686265600109.jpg" alt="" width="891" height="591" /></p> <caption>Domestic cats in residential areas can be far more destructive to wildlife than feral cats.</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Luke Costin</strong> in Sydney</span></p> <p><strong>"Arresting" roaming cats and harsher penalties for biosecurity breaches could be made easier after a government review aimed at halting a potential $30 billion disaster.</strong></p> <p>The NSW Natural Resource Commission on Monday found invasive species – including cats, foxes and some 340 weeds – traverse the state and not all their impacts can be effectively managed.</p> <p>It has recommended extensive changes to how pests are controlled, having found significant gaps in the system as well as regulators and researchers stuck in silos.</p> <p>Invasive species costs have risen sharply in recent decades to at least $1.9 billion a year, while changes in urban areas, trade, agriculture and climate could increase the future severity of invasive species.</p> <p>In the worst-case scenario, the annual cost could hit $29.7 billion by 2030.</p> <p>The commission's interim report finds current pet laws ineffective at managing the biosecurity risks posed by cats, including predation and disease transmission.</p> <p>Due to their sheer number, domestic cats in residential areas can have a wildlife predation rate 28 to 52 times higher than feral cats in natural environments, the report says.</p> <p>Unsupervised cats entering private property however cannot lawfully be seized and taken to a council pound, while a person can only grab a cat in a designated wildlife protection area "for the cat's own protection".</p> <p>The commission calls for councils to be allowed to set up cat containment and desexing policies.</p> <p>It also criticised enforcement measures for invasive species, noting only two biosecurity directions had been issued for pest animal management since laws were overhauled in 2015.</p> <p>A dedicated central unit should support legal cases for prosecution and more targeted use of regulation, it said.</p> <p>Warnings have also been aired about the disconnect between researchers and land managers and the government's tendency to back sporadic, fragmented, short-term programs.</p> <p>"While the foundations of good management exist, the NSW invasive species management system is not yet cohesive," the interim report says.</p> <p>The government has allocated a record $946 million for biosecurity, including expanding the targeting of feral pigs and helping landholders halt invasive species spreading from public land.</p> <p>The creation of an independent biosecurity commissioner also underlined the importance of strengthening the state's resilience, it said.</p> <p>Other measures include a $10 million program helping landholders halt invasive species spreading from public land, and a review of policies for priority pest and weed species.</p> <p>"While the (commission) was developing this report we haven't sat still," Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said.</p> <p>"We are committed to responding to the report comprehensively and we are already reviewing the current compliance settings to make sure they are fit for purpose."</p> <p>Consultation on the interim report will now commence, with a final report due by year-end.</p> <p><strong>THE MOST WIDESPREAD WEEDS AND PEST ANIMALS IN NSW</strong></p> <p><strong>Weeds</strong> (by spatial extent)</p> <ul> <li>Nine per cent - Paterson's curse</p> </li> <li> <p>Five per cent - Sweet briar, Saffron thistle, Lantana, Horehound, prickly pear</p> </li> <li> <p>Four per cent - Blackberry, African boxthorn, Fireweed</p> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Pest animals</strong> (by spatial extent)</p> <ul> <li> <p>99 per cent - Red fox</p> </li> <li> <p>98 per cent - Feral cat</p> </li> <li> <p>82 per cent - rabbit</p> </li> <li> <p>70 per cent - feral pig</p> </li> </ul> </body>