Goats graze on grass to save lizards

We’re not kidding, the goats have been called in to help the little lizard that lives in the city park.

The first goats have been sent to Melbourne’s Royal Park to munch on the weeds that threaten the habitat* of the White lizard.

Lizards have lived in this part of the park for more than 20 years, and are the only surviving population in downtown Melbourne.

They prefer rocky habitats and shady vegetation, and open areas to soak in the sun. They make burrows to escape predators*, hibernate* and reproduce. But weeds have ravaged their Royal Park habitat, with exotic grass covering their *sun beds*.

The goats will be gradually introduced into the park’s seven fenced plots in the coming weeks.

The City of Melbourne is conducting trials with the University of Melbourne as part of a plan to improve ecosystem health* and biodiversity*.

Acting Mayor Nicholas Reece said the council was eager to see if the goats could “work their grazing magic” and improve the lizards’ habitat.

“We’re not kidding about our important ecological* system – the scale of this project is enough to turn white skin pale,” he says.

Environmental portfolio leadership board member Rohan Leppert said it was important to ensure Melbourne’s inner city ecosystem was healthy and diverse.

“We hope that this experiment will steer us away from the use of chemical herbicides* and manual weeding* in this challenging location,” he said.

University of Melbourne research fellow in urban ecology, Dr Julian Brown, said working with city councils was invaluable to develop new evidence-based urban landscape management techniques.

“By comparing grazed and ungrazed plots, we were able to determine whether the goats could safely remove weeds and help restore the White lizard habitat,” said Dr Brown.

Under the pilot, eight additional plots will be used as control sites and left unmanaged.

Native grass will be planted, and lizard populations and habitat quality will be measured again in the fall of next year.

GLOSSARY

• habitats: the natural environment in which an animal or plant normally lives and grows
• predators: Animals that kill and eat other animals to survive
• hibernation: spend the winter sleeping or in an inactive state
• strangle: stop something from growing freely, suffocating, stifling
• sunbathe: enjoy the warmth of the sun
• ecosystem: Bubbles of plants, animals, other organisms, landscapes and weather combined
• biodiversity: the variety of life found in a particular place or the total variety of life on Earth
• ecological: about the relationship between living things and their environment
• herbicide: weed killers, often chemicals, to kill unwanted plants
• guide: done by hand, physical labor

ADDITIONAL READING

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Robot lizard solve prey puzzle

The injured flying fox spreads its wings again

Kosciuszko’s new koala adapted for survival

QUICK QUIZ

1. What types of lizards live in Melbourne’s Royal Park?
2. What has stifled their basking site?
3. How long have lizards lived in the inner city park?
4. Why do they make burrows?
5. Council members hope the goat experiment will keep them from using what?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASS ACTIVITIES
1. Habitat of white lizard
Draw (or model if you have the time and materials) an ideal habitat for a white lizard. Label features to indicate what you’ve included.

Time: take 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Link: English; Science; visual arts

2. Extension
Explain the importance of this opening phrase, “We’re not kidding…”

Then, choose three other animals and write a clever phrase that you can use to break the news about each animal.

Time: take 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Link: English

VCOP ACTIVITIES
Goat mower
Local farmers have new business ideas to launch… hiring their goats as lawn mowers for property owners and local businesses!

What do you think? List the pros and cons of owning a goat as a lawn mower.

Create posters or flyers advertising new services to share with local businesses and landowners.

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