Maximising the conservation benefits of the commercial goat industry in Australia

Objectives
1. Review and evaluate methods developed for assessing the risks of new feral goat populations establishing through escapes from new and existing goat enterprises.
2. Describe the different legislative and policy instruments used by jurisdictions in Australia to manage feral and domestic goats, particularly as they affect commercial harvesting, and review their efficacy and utility in limiting the impact of feral goats on the environment and native biodiversity.
3. Describe the nature of the commercial harvesting industries for feral goats and feral pigs and their abilities to deliver sustained benefits to biodiversity values.
4. Consider whether the current or potential legal and policy instruments used to manage goats enhance or hinder the collateral benefits (if any) to the environment and native biodiversity.
5. Recommend changes to legal or policy instruments that might better benefit biodiversity outcomes.
6. Recommend research and other activities required to address gaps in knowledge that are needed to clarify the costs, constraints, and benefits of commercial harvesting as a method, either alone or in combination with others, to manage feral goats.