BDBSA Project Metadata Detail

Survey/Project Number: 880          Total No. of Sites: 44
Survey/Project Name: Goat Impact Assessment SAMDB and SAAL
Abstract: Up to 60 baseline sites will be established across three landscapes, that will monitor the impacts of feral goats on vegetation. At some sites, surveys will monitor the growth of, and browsing impact on, plant species known to be highly palatable to feral goats. At other sites, all curent goat impacts will be recorded, including goat damage and browse on palatable and unplatable plants. This information will then be used to assess whether goat control activities undertaken by Australian Government funded programs are effective in reducing the impact of feral goats across a wide area. By reducing browsing pressure and damage to plants and soil, effective goat control will benefit the biodiversity and ecosystem regeneration in important conservation areas of the SAMDB and SAAL regions.
 
Start Date: 01/05/2012      End Date: 01/01/2020
Survey Type: Vegetation Only
   
Study Area Description: The majority of the sites are in the Riverland Biosphere Reserve, north of Renmark and Waikeire. Other sites occur, or will occur, in Karte and Peebinga CPs (north of Pinnaroo), and in Pualco CP, south of Yunta (in SAAL region).
Objectives
         Vegetation: Refer to Abstract.
         Fauna: *** No fauna survey objectives recorded
Methodology
         Vegetation: Three complmentary landscape scale feral goat and rabbit control programs are operating in the Riverland Biosphere, Murray Mallee and Burra to Olary areas. These programs require a monitoring framework for evaluating ongoing feral goat control activities, funded by the Australian Government and delivered by DEWNR and partners. The current baseline impact survey will use existing photopoint/biological/pastoral sites, or establish new sites, to monitor highly palatble plant species over time. Goat impact assessment methodlogy has been developed in arid land systems (see McDonald and Brandle 2009, and BDBSA survey number 651) and the same method will be applied to the mallee environment. The methodlogy involves measuring size parameters (height, length, width of old and new browse forms), and past and current browse intensity (diameter classes) on multiple individual plants, which can indicate current and past browsing pressure across multiple sites and species. Additional methods will assess current browse and damage at particular sites which are the focus of specific goat management actions, for example, dam closures or new fencing. A standard observational pastoral assessment is completed at each site, recording plant species present within similar habitat within an approximate radius of 200m, Crown Seperation Ratio (CSR), Structural Dominants, evidence of grazing, recruitment or resporuting, assessment of site condition and erosion, and vertebrate presence. Goat impact assessments will be regularly employed in the future to evaluate feral goat impacts at any time, and can be targeted around specific management actions. Combined with other components of the landscape goat control projects, including home range and density information, this project will contribute to a feral goat abundance/vegetation impact model that underpins adaptive management practice, which will improve our understanding and success in managing feral goats in these landscapes.
         Fauna: *** No vertebrate methodology recorded

Data Distribution Rules: Public Dataset
Project Basis: Unknown :
Information Authority: Department for Environment and Heritage (BDBSA:Murraylands) - Regional Ecologist
Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources
Murray Darling Basin Commission