canberrabirds

FW: [canberrabirds] out of area - clearing land using goats

To: "" <>
Subject: FW: [canberrabirds] out of area - clearing land using goats
From: Geoffrey Dabb <>
Date: Sat, 4 May 2019 23:26:31 +0000

I think Con was putting a more nuanced (a word young people like to use these days, and one I hope I am using correctly) point of view.  This is brought out by the 3 links he offers.  First, there is not, as David suggests, a problem with lack of demand for goat meat. Indeed, high demand for goat meat is part of the present predicament.

 

The first piece brings out ‘the value of goats to rangeland producers in hard times’, and calls for collaboration between producers and conservationists.

 

The second piece is an ABC report about concern that goat numbers are ‘plummeting’ due to (a) over-harvesting and (b) the drought.

 

The third piece, about a CSIRO research project, concerns rangeland goat management, clearly a central issue.  It seems goat numbers can be reduced in national parks and other areas of high conservation value by fencing artificial watering points in, and within 4km of, such areas.

 

Not a simple issue.

 

From: David Rees <>
Sent: Saturday, 4 May 2019 10:06 PM
To: Con Boekel <>; <> <>
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] out of area - clearing land using goats

 

Con

 

Familiar territory  and I know what you mean, you can additionally see the same if you go out towards Cobar and Broken hill or west of Cunnamulla. Goats everywhere, makes you think what the export meat industry out there should be, Pity we don't like goat, however it can taste good, we just need to educate ourselves to use it.  Could also have solar farms for power on the buggered cleared areas, these would probably bring in a better income than the 3 years in 10 the area is suitable for economic cattle production.

 

David

 

On Sat, May 4, 2019 at 4:59 PM Con Boekel <> wrote:

Hi everyone

We have just returned from a trip to Bowra - going north by way of St
George and south by way of Bourke.

The drought you all know about. Bird numbers at Bowra have fallen by
three quarters.

Several species listed as 'common' on the Bowra checklist are at the
moment entirely absent or present in extremely low numbers.


But the bad news, based on a cursory examination of many, many hundreds
of kilometers of uncleared grazing country,  is that goat grazing seems
to be unsustainable over vast swathes of country.

Other than at locations like Bowra and and Gundabooka National Park, we
observed very little woody plant regeneration in Acacia woodlands and
shrublands.

It seems absurd to have clearing regulations on the one hand while goats
are effectively clearing vast swathes of Australia with no apparent
management of goat grazing pressure other than that driven by commercial
considerations.

regards

Con


https://landcareaustralia.org.au/project/the-need-for-change-in-rangeland-goat-management-in-the-western-division/


https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-08-02/goats-numbers-drop-due-to-drought-and-over-harvesting/10052836

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-08-02/goats-numbers-drop-due-to-drought-and-over-harvesting/10052836

https://www.publish.csiro.au/rj/rj10070


*******************************************************************************************************
This is the email announcement and discussion list of the Canberra Ornithologists Group.
Emails posted to the list that exceed 200 kB in size, including attachments, will be rejected.
All emails distributed via the list are archived at http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/canberrabirds. It is a condition of list membership that you agree to your contributions being archived.
When subscribing or unsubscribing, please insert the word 'Subscribe' or 'Unsubscribe', as applicable, in the email's subject line.
List-Post: <>
List-Help: <>
List-Unsubscribe: <>
List-Subscribe: <>
List manager: David McDonald, email <>

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the Canberra Ornithologists Group mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the list contact David McDonald, list manager, phone (02) 6231 8904 or email . If you can not contact David McDonald e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU