The Issues: Grazing the Rangelands

Rangelands cover over 75 per cent of Australia’s land mass and are the largest group of relatively natural ecosystems in Australia. The continued productivity of the Rangelands for wool production depends on the long-term sustainability of their vegetation systems.

Australia’s Rangelands are a mosaic of vegetation types that include grasslands, shrublands and woodlands. The short-term productivity of these systems for wool production is dependent on the annual species and plants that germinate after rains. However the long-term resilience of the production systems relies on the continued persistence of their perennial components. The biggest threats to perennial species persistence are overgrazing and drought.

Productive Solutions

• A key to the long term viability of the Rangelands is the management of Total Grazing Pressure, which can be achieved by the:
• Establishment of long-term sustainable stocking rates for different vegetation systems
• Adjustments for seasonal variability at critical intervals
• Spacing of watering points to control the area grazed by stock
• Control of feral and native grazers through legal culling and the use of trapyards

Research has established sustainable stocking rate ranges for Rangeland ecosystems. These are based on feed utilization levels and can be adjusted to accommodate seasonal differences Monitoring either on ground or through satellite remote sensing will become an integral tool for Rangeland management.

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