3 days ago
Feral goats eat native vegetation on Great Keppel (Woppa) Island
White sandy beaches, lush green bushland and turquoise water greet visitors stepping off the ferry onto Queensland's Great Keppel (Woppa) Island.
Most daytrippers to the southern Great Barrier Reef paradise wouldn't notice the environmental threat lurking quietly among the vegetation.
About 1,000 feral goats are estimated to roam the island off the Capricorn Coast, destroying native flora.
The Queensland government has been responsible for managing the feral pests since 2023, when the former leaseholder of the island, Tower Holdings, had its leases cancelled due to non-payment of fees.
Carl Svendsen, 67, has lived on the island his entire life and is advocating for the goats to be completely removed.
"In more modern times there's been no management plan for the goats," he said.
"It's a pretty major problem because it's impacting on a lot of our delicate sand dunes.
The goats were introduced about a century ago as a food source.
Another island resident, Stuart Thomson, said damage from the feral animals could be seen everywhere.
He is also calling for their removal.
"They eat the native grasses, they eat the spinifex off the beaches, they eat all the young trees.
"They need to be removed completely, not culled down or anything like that because we will have the same problem in another 10 years."
The Department of Natural Resources said since the former resort leases were forfeited two years ago, its priority had been to address public safety issues on the site.
"This has included installing a perimeter fence, signage, a remote CCTV system, and clearing overgrown vegetation," it said.
"The department takes its obligations under the Biosecurity Act 2014 seriously and is now consulting stakeholders with a view to developing a goat management plan."
Capricorn Conservation Council coordinator Sophie George said the state government had been too slow to respond to the issue.
"The help is just not coming fast enough," she said.
"It's great they are working on security on the island, there is a lot of work happening at the actual resort to dismantle it and make sure it's a safer area, but the goats are just as much as a problem as those safety issues.
Woppaburra rangers work alongside government agencies to protect their traditional sea country, managing pests and fire.
The department says a goat management plan is expected to be finalised later this year.
