KALAMUNDA’S Nature Reserves Preservation Group (NRPG) have prepared an environmental scorecard assessing City of Kalamunda council candidates’ responses to survey questions designed to reveal their policy stance on environmental matters.

The scorecard focused on the five major issues of tree canopy stances, cat laws, owl friendliness, climate change views and views on natural areas.

At the centre of the assessment is the city’s urban forest strategy, which sets a goal of achieving 30 per cent tree canopy cover across the city by 2043.

Candidates were asked whether they supported protecting trees on both public and private land.

NRPG noted the council’s 2024 decision to revoke its former tree retention policy, replacing it with a draft policy that excludes private residential land.

Candidates were therefore scored on their willingness to back stronger measures to retain mature trees and prevent canopy loss.

The second area of focus was wildlife protection, specifically the threat roaming domestic cats pose to birds and mammals.

With scientific research estimating cats kill hundreds of millions of native animals annually, the scorecard asked whether candidates would support stronger local cat control laws and incentives for pet owners.

A third criterion was whether candidates would commit to Kalamunda becoming an owl friendly community, eliminating the use of second-generation rodenticides by council.

These poisons have been linked to the deaths of owls, quolls and quendas through secondary poisoning, with local wildlife carers at Kanyana Wildlife Hospital reporting regular cases.

Swan forums on smarter rodenticide use (Echo News, August 15) reported that it was an issue that stemmed from the ease of access of the second-generation rodenticides and the lack of public knowledge about their wider impacts.

The survey also tested candidates’ views on climate change, asking whether they accepted it as a human-caused urgent issue and if they supported the city’s climate change action plan to cut emissions.

This criterion emphasised both council operations and the role of ratepayer education.

Finally, the scorecard assessed support for preserving and regenerating natural areas such as wetlands, bush reserves, state forests and wildlife corridors.

This included reference to controversial issues such as bauxite mining proposals in the northern jarrah forest, which local groups argue threaten water quality and cockatoo habitat.

NRPG president Mick Davis said the scorecard was not an endorsement of individual candidates but a tool to inform voters.

“It provides a simple guide for the community to better understand each candidate’s policy position on environmental issues that matter to the city,” he said.