Fox control and fire influence the occurrence of invasive predators and threatened native prey

It can be challenging to distinguish management impacts from other population drivers, including 'natural' processes and co-occurring threats. However, disentangling processes is important, particularly when management may have unintended consequences, such as mesopredator release. We explored the effects of long-term, broadscale poison-baiting programs on the distribution of red foxes Vulpes vulpes (targeted invasive predator), feral cats Felis catus (unmanaged invasive competitor) and two of their threatened native prey in two fire-affected regions of south-eastern Australia. We synthesised data from 3,667 camera-trap deployments at 1,232 sites (172,052 trap-nights), combining experimental manipulation of foxes and fire with space-for-time approaches. Fox control effectiveness––in terms of decreased probability of fox occurrence and increased probability of prey occurrence––depended on the duration and intensity of the poison-baiting program. The effects of fox control on prey occurre...