Old Irish Goats are planned to be used in a new pilot project to control invasive plant species on designated sites in counties Clare and Galway.

The proposed pilot conservation grazing project is a collaboration between the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), the Old Irish Goat Society and the University of Galway.

The project will research and demonstrate the effectiveness of Old Irish Goats as a sustainable management tool for scrub and the control of invasive plant species, and its application for conservation grazing.

The monitoring of the five-year project, including the establishment of baseline data, will be via a research PhD run through the University of Galway.

The project will be run across ten test sites within four Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Clare and Galway, which are all under the management of the NPWS.

Two of the four SACs, the East Burren Complex and the Coole-Garryland Complex, are dual designated as Special Protection Areas (SPAs).

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said that the project aims to expand on works undertaken by Fingal County Council and the Old Irish Goats Society at Howth Head SAC.

At Howth Head, Old Irish Goats were utilised at different locations to control vegetation and establish and maintain firebreaks as part of risk management.

The department said this new research aims to develop the application of Old Irish Goats as a potential option for conservation grazing and habitat management.

The goats with virtual GPS fence collars will be used to specifically control and manage encroaching scrub (Blackthorn, Whitethorn, Hazel and Gorse) and invasive species (namely Old Man’s Beard),

The department said that the GPS collar units will provide an up-to-date location of each animal and an activity monitor which allows comparison across groups of animals and between sites.

Following screening for appropriate assessment, the department concluded "with certainty that the project is a necessary conservation measure that is directly connected with or necessary for the management of the sites".