Publication Date

2-2026

Publisher

State of Western Australia.

City

Perth

Abstract

DPIRD monitors and reports on the vegetation condition of pastoral rangelands in Western Australia. Two levels of reporting are provided: every 5 years a full report details the state, trend and risk of decrease of vegetation condition in the pastoral rangelands using information derived from remotely sensed and on-ground data; in the intervening years, short reports are provided based on remotely sensed data (this report).

This report is based on remotely sensed vegetation cover data, rainfall data, livestock data and station-level rangeland condition assessment (RCA) data available in November 2025. Data is presented for 23 land conservation districts (LCDs) across the pastoral rangelands. Individual LCDs are grouped into Kimberley, Pilbara, Upper Southern Rangelands and Lower Southern Rangelands regions.

For each LCD, remotely sensed seasonal total cover and reported stocking rates are used to estimate the risk of vegetation cover decrease for key vegetation monitoring and assessment units (MAUs) or vegetation functional groups (aggregations with similar topography, soils and vegetation types).

Rainfall in the 12 months to November 2025 was generally median or above median across the pastoral rangelands, except for the Gascoyne–Wooramel, Lyndon, West Gascoyne and Shark Bay LCDs, which were below median.

The risk of total vegetation cover declining to low or very low levels is considered low to moderate in the Kimberley, with a significant improvement in cover in the Broome LCD.

Despite generally above median rainfall, and 5-year average stocking rates below the potential carrying capacity, the risk of vegetation cover decline has increased over much of the Pilbara and Southern Rangelands and is now considered high or very high in all LCDs except for the East Pilbara, Kalgoorlie, Nullarbor and Shark Bay LCDs. The risk of one or more vegetation functional groups falling to, or remaining at, below-average or very much below-average levels was high or very high in 15 LCDs, which is an increase on 11 LCDs in 2024, but less than the estimate of 17 LCDs in 2023.

In 2025, the generally median or above rainfall was not sufficient to offset longer-term rainfall deficits and prevent a decline in total cover. It is likely that increased temperatures are affecting the cyclical trends in cover.

Unless rainfall is significantly above average over the 2025–26 wet season and 2026 winter, low levels of vegetation cover and soil water mean that stocking rates in the Southern Rangelands will need to be decreased in line with fodder availability to manage degradation and animal welfare risks.

Number of Pages

45

Keywords

pastoral rangelands, vegetation cover, cover risk of decline, pasture condition, Western Australia

Disciplines

Agriculture | Environmental Monitoring | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Sustainability

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