How can sheep, cattle and golf balls help an endangered species survive?
When the sheep and cattle keep the grass and other plants at just the right level and the golf balls help us measure that.
With less than 5% of Victora’s native grasslands still intact, it is important that we preserve them to help the animals that live there to survive.
Animals that live in grasslands often need the plants to be just the right thickness and height so they can thrive. If the grass becomes too tall and dense, or too short and sparse, then the animals can no longer survive and are forced to leave.
One way that we help keep the grasslands healthy in Terrick Terrick National Park in northern Victoria is ecological grazing.
This means allowing a limited number of sheep and cattle to graze in the grasslands at certain times. The grazing is carefully managed to ensure the right density of grass and other plants.
Dropping and measuring how many golf balls we can see in sections of grass shows us how open the vegetation is and if it is right for the animals that live there.
Much of the Terrick Terrick National Park and Bael Bael Nature Conservation Reserve west of Echuca were previously farmed. They have been restored over many years to protect the grasslands.
These special places are home to the endangered Plains-wanderer, as well as dunnarts, lizards, snakes and more.
Parks Victoria staff, partners and volunteers carefully survey the grasslands regularly. Under the cover of darkness, they drive and walk along set routes to record what they see.
2025-2026 results
Last summer the grassland habitat in Terrick Terrick National Park improved after recovering from flooding and above average rainfall in recent years.
‘We saw more Plains Wanderers and Fat-tailed Dunnarts than previous years which is great news as they are both endangered in Victoria,’ said Mark Antos, Parks Victoria’s Manager Conservation Science and Insights.
‘Most reptiles were steady, although we saw more Hooded Scalyfoots – a type of legless lizard – and less Curl Snakes.’
‘It wasn’t all good news though – we saw less Little Button-quail and no Red-chested Button-quail– so there is always more to do.’
