Now or Never Project

The Now or Never project aims to eradicate feral deer and dramatically reduce goat populations across the Northern and Yorke region through targeted aerial and ground control programs, complemented by community education initiatives. The project builds on existing state and regional eradication programs for these species.

Feral deer and goats cause significant harm to our native biodiversity, water quality, public safety, agricultural assets, and Aboriginal cultural heritage. The scale of these impacts has prompted collaboration between the Northern and Yorke, Hills and Fleurieu, and Green Adelaide regions. It also increases capacity in ongoing programs with National Parks and Wildlife Service, PIRSA, key industry groups and private landholders to achieve substantial population reductions.

The most effective and efficient control methods are large scale, professionally coordinated ground and aerial control operations, supported by the latest thermal imaging technology. This proven approach has consistently delivered successful outcomes across multiple regions, enabling precise detection and removal of target pest animals while minimising disturbance to non-target species and the surrounding environment.

With recent dry conditions and increased potential of drought, this represents a critical, once in a lifetime opportunity to reverse current population trends, work toward the eradication of feral deer across all regions, and push back against feral goat expansion.

Landholder participation

The Now or Never project relies on strong landholder involvement to be successful. Feral deer and goats don’t recognise fences or property boundaries, so effective control efforts rely on coordination across neighbouring properties and landscapes.

We’re calling on landholders who regularly see feral deer or goats on their property to register their interest using the link on the right-hand side. By joining the program, you’ll help us build a connected network of participants and create the broad landscape scale footprint needed for coordinated control activities.

Your participation is vital in reducing the environmental, safety, and agricultural impacts caused by these pest animals and supporting the recovery of our unique regional landscape.

Community support

In areas experiencing significant impacts from feral deer and goats, there is a consistently high level of community awareness and support for control initiatives. Landholders in these regions recognise the environmental, agricultural, and economic damage caused by overabundant populations. As a result, many landholders are actively involved in management activities.

We encourage everyone to use FeralScan to record any sightings or evidence of feral deer and goats, even if they’re not currently experiencing direct impacts on their property. Every report contributes valuable information that helps us build a clearer picture of local populations and movement patterns. This data plays a key role in helping us prioritise and plan control operations more effectively across the region.