The G.O.A.T.s of invasive species removal

Now that we are fully immersed in autumn, residents and tourists alike go crazy for the beautiful fall colours. I love to go on hikes with my  family and there is no better place to do so than in our nation’s capital (or just next door in Gatineau). As you go hiking with your family to enjoy the colours, You may have noticed that over the summer, invasive species have taken over your favourite garden, park or walking trail. Residents and community associations typically take on the monumental task of managing invasive species, usually removing them by hand. In Ottawa, the most abundant  invasive plants include wild parsnip, giant hogweed, poison ivy, and glossy buckthorn. These widespread invasions result in a continued loss of biodiversity and wildlife habitat. Once invasive plants are well established, efforts to eradicate—or at least control—them are expensive and time consuming, and often futile. Conventional approaches include mechanical or hand-pulling, or cuttings that often require repeated treatments of chemical herbicides to prevent sprouting. An alternative way to control  invasive species is through what municipalities are calling “prescriptive grazing”, which is a fancy term for goats. Yes, goats.

Municipalities like Mississauga, Seattle, Toronto and even big companies like Enbridge are using goats to manage invasive species. California is going one step further by using goats to prevent forest fires. Goats are a Rachel Carson approved form of RoundUp. They navigate steep slopes or other hard-to-reach areas a lot easier than people, chemicals or machines. Goats are easier to transport to different areas and are generalists when it comes to foraging. And in case you were curious, when birds eat fruits from invasive shrubs, they end up depositing the seeds in their droppings. These seeds then easily germinate in new locations. Goats have a four chambered stomach which destroys about 99% of any seeds they might eat, so the risk of spreading invasive seeds from their manure is very low. 

The City of Ottawa is looking into developing an Invasive Species strategy. must consider goats as an environmentally friendly, efficient, and let’s face it, crowd pleasing asset in our biodiversity toolkit. You might even call them the Greatest Of All Time.