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French Island Priority Place – Creating a Wildlife Safe Haven is a collaborative conservation project to protect and restore the island’s unique ecosystems by removing feral cats. The project aims to establish one of Australia’s few predator-free wildlife sanctuaries, creating a safe haven for threatened species and enhancing the island’s biodiversity.

Through the removal of feral cats, the project will enable native species like the Eastern Barred Bandicoot and Long-nosed Potoroo to thrive, supporting the long-term ecological health of French Island.

Current activities

The project is currently in its next phase of feral cat eradication, with activities including:

  • Feral cat trapping and monitoring across both public and private land.
  • Community information sessions to engage residents and provide updates on the program.
  • Responsible Pet Ownership Program, ensuring all domestic cats are desexed and listed on a local register.
  • Leghold trapping operations (pending permit approval) to enhance eradication efforts, supported by community information sessions and visitor signage.
  • Ongoing ecological monitoring to track native species recovery.

Why is this project important?

French Island is one of only six priority islands for feral predator eradication under Australia’s Threatened Species Action Plan (2022-2032). Feral cats pose a serious challenge to Australia’s biodiversity, impacting native wildlife populations and are a recognised threat to over 200 nationally threatened species. They have also been a factor in the extinction of more than 20 Australian mammal species.

The critically-endangered Eastern Curlew
An Eastern Curlew, which migrates to French Island over the warmer months.

Two Long-nosed Potoroos and a Lewin’s Rail captured on one of the monitoring cameras
Two Long-nosed Potoroos and a Lewin’s Rail captured on one of the monitoring cameras.

 

The removal of feral cats will support the recovery of native species, including:

  • Eastern Barred Bandicoot – one of Australia’s most endangered marsupials.
  • Long-nosed Potoroo – a key ecosystem engineer.
  • Lewin’s Rail, Swamp Skink, and other threatened species.

Project timing and delivery

This project is being delivered in multiple phases, with the current phase focused on continued feral cat control and native species monitoring.

Following a feral cat control program coordinated by French Island Landcare from 2010 to 2020, feral cat eradication on the island commenced in 2021.

2021 - 2024: Initial feral cat removal and ecological monitoring.

2024 – 2028: The current initiative is designed in three phases:

Complete
 

Phase 1

Broad-scale reduction of the feral cat population.

Started
 

Phase 2

Targeted removal of remaining individuals.

Started
 

Phase 3

Ongoing monitoring to prevent re-establishment.

Started
 

Ongoing

Long-term biosecurity planning and native species recovery.

Project partners

The French Island Priority Place project is a collaborative partnership led by Melbourne Water, in partnership with:

  • Parks Victoria
  • Victorian Government’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)
  • Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW)
  • French Island Landcare Group
  • French Island Community Association

Tiny Aus Gov logo

Funding acknowledgement  

This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and Saving Native Species programs delivered by Melbourne Water, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.

Additional funding provided by Melbourne Water, and in-kind support by project partners.

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