Goats are chewing their way through invasive weeds in Melbourne’s east as part of a trial to remove unwanted plants by Parks Victoria at Koomba Park in Wurundjeri Country.
Area Chief Ranger at Parks Victoria, Brendan Sullivan said the herd of 16 goats had been set a mighty task – to eat invasive weeds including Wandering Trad, Wild Rose, and Kikuyu.
“These goats have made a wonderful addition to our team,” Mr Sullivan said.
“By allowing them to graze, we can remove the invasive weeds without the use of machinery or chemicals,” he said.
“Following the results of the trial, we hope the learnings from this pilot may see goats trialled in other suitable locations.”
Mr Sullivan said invasive weeds were a serious threat to biodiversity in Victoria.
“Not only do they compete with and crowd out native plants for space, nutrients, and sunlight, they prevent them providing essential habitat for native animals,” the Ranger said.
“In the coming weeks, volunteers from Friends of Dandenong Valley Parklands and First Friends of Dandenong Creek will begin planting Indigenous grasses to revegetate the landscape with support from Parks Victoria rangers.”
He said it was hoped that the learnings from the pilot might see goats trialled in other suitable locations.
“We are incredibly grateful to the volunteers from Friends of Dandenong Valley Parklands for leading this project and to First Friends of Dandenong Creek for their support,” Mr Sullivan said.
