Cities and organizations in the US state of Maryland have found an original and ecologically sound method to cut the weeds from their parks and gardens: Bring in the goats.
Brian Knox, owner of Eco-Goats, a business based in Davidsonville, Maryland, said the hungry animals graze on dense vegetation and munch unwanted weeds and invasive plants while also leaving fertilizer behind for the grasses that people want.
“There is poison ivy and all kinds of stuff that you know people don’t want to go in there for, and the goats don’t seem to mind that much,” he said.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
Eco-Goats, which has been in business for three years, often brings dozens of goats to the site that a customer hopes to clear, then puts up electric fences and allows the goats to graze for days.
One group of 30 goats can clear 100 square meters of brush per day, according to Eco-Goats. Because the animals are agile and good climbers, they can often get to hard-to-reach vegetation.
When the work is finished, the goats have left behind their droppings which serve as fertilizer, said Eco-Goats, which charges about US$5,750 (NT$166,000) for 2.5 acres (1 hectare).
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
In Gaithersburg, Maryland, the conservation group Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA), in partnership with the city, called on the goats to remove harmful, invasive species in the parks that it protects.
“It’s such an innovative, sustainable way of removing invasive species, and you get to hang out with some cute goats while you’re doing it,” said Rebecca Wadler, an IWLA Sustainability Education Program Associate.
(AFP)
美國馬里蘭州的城市與組織團體,已發現一種原始且兼顧生態平衡的合理方法,除去他們公園與花園中的雜草:帶進一群羊。
位於馬里蘭州戴維森維爾的生態羊公司負責人布萊恩‧諾克斯說:「這些飢腸轆轆的動物們,吃著茂密的植物,並大聲咀嚼多餘的雜草與入侵植物,同時也留下人們所屬意的無化肥草地。」
他說:「這裡有帶有毒性的常春藤與各種你所知道人們不想踏上的植物,而山羊似乎不那麼介意這些。」
生態羊公司已營運三年,經常帶著許多山羊,到達客戶欲清理的地點,架起電動圍籬,然後就放羊吃個幾天草。
根據生態羊公司表示,三十頭羊每日可以清除一百平方公尺的灌木叢。因為動物行動敏捷且善於攀爬,所以他們可以深入抵達不易的植被。
生態羊公司表示,山羊們在工作結束後,已留下它們的排泄物作為肥料,大約是每二點五英畝(約一公頃)收取五千七百五十美元(約新台幣十六萬六千元)。
美國艾薩克‧沃爾頓聯盟(IWLA)與馬里蘭州的蓋瑟斯堡市締結合作關係,召集山羊們清除在其保護公園中的有害與入侵品種。
IWLA永續教育計畫推行者瑞貝卡‧瓦德勒說:「這真是個除掉入侵品種創新且永續的方法,並且你還能在清除雜草同時,與一些可愛的山羊相處。」
(法新社/翻譯:林亞蒂)
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