Feral goats are a serious introduced pest species in Australia. They cause an estimated $7.7 million ecomony damage in Australia each year. They cause direct damage to agricultural productivity and threaten food security, impact on land degradation and damage food production systems, degrade habitats and native vegetation, damage culturally significant sites, damage sources of bush tucker, and compete with livestock. Management of feral goats and the damage they cause (eg. fence damage) requires ongoing investment. Feral goats may also pose a serious exotic disease risk (such as Foot-and-Mouth Disease) if accidently introduced to Australia. In some regions, feral goat populations are also commercially harvested to provide financial return to land managers. Unless careully managed, goats can have adverse affects on the land irrespective of harvesting activities. For further information on the impacts of feral goats, see Feral goat damage - an overview.

 

Landholders, pest control officers, local government and researchers can work together to manage feral goats to reduce the damage they cause and risks they pose to agricultural industries and our environment. Gathering baseline data (through FeralGoatScan) on where feral goats occur and what problems they cause is an important step in this process.