An evaluation of a long-term feral goat control program in Mootwingee National Park and Coturaundee Nature Reserve, far western New South Wales.

Between January 1981 and September 1997, goat mustering and aerial culling was conducted on Mootwingee National Park and Coturaundee Nature Reserve, a n area with high densities of goats (Southwell et al. 1993). The goat contr ol campaign was initiated as a general management strategy to reduce the ne gative impacts of goats on native vegetation, aboriginal art sites and the endangered yellow-footed rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus). During this pe riod a total of 42,516 goats were removed (13,089 mustered, 29,427 shot). B etween January 1988 and June 1995 it was possible to calculate population i ndices for goats using aerial culling data; Ln(number of goats shot/minute flying time+l). The study site was sub-divided into northern and southern b locks and population indices calculated for each block. Linear regression e quations were fitted to the population indices plotted across time. The dat a suggest that despite the removal of considerable numbers of goats from bo th blocks of the study area (11,601, northern; 10,035, southern), there was no detectable decrease in goat numbers over the 1988-1995 period. For both blocks the slope of the regression line was negative and dose to zero (-0. 005, northern; -0.0003, southern). The results indicate that the impact of mustering and shooting was shortterm and that the re-invasion rate by goats into the area was very high. In areas of high goat density, control measur es need to be regular and conducted over a broad geographic area if goat nu mbers are to be effectively reduced. No detectable increase was noted in th e yellow-footed rock-wallaby population during the period of intensive goat control.