
Image: Rosie Hohnen
Contract Researcher
Kangaroo Island Landscape Board, Christmas Island National Parks, Lord Howe Island Board
2020-2021
Globally, many island species are threatened due to the impacts of invasive feral cats (Felis catus) and rats (Rattus rattus). In Australia, a number of cat and rat eradication projects are underway to conserve threatened species on islands. I worked with local teams to support a series of offshore island invasive species eradication projects, through designing more effective monitoring methods and testing cat control techniques. I worked for the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board testing the efficacy of a feral cat bait 'Curiosity' as a control method for the invasive feral cat population, using camera trapping and GPS collaring techniques. I worked on for Christmas Island National Parks, refining their camera trapping techniques to increase cat detection probability in different habitat types. I also worked with the Lord Howe Island Board supporting the design a of a camera trapping array, involving AI image processing, to monitor rat incisions from boats, post-rat eradication on the island.
Images: Rosie Hohnen
From L-R: Cockatoos in the firescar on western Kangaroo Island, a GPS collared feral cat, and a Lord Howe Island woodhen (Gallirallus sylvestris).
Comments