Publication Date

2020

Publisher

State of Western Australia

City

Perth

Abstract

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) reports annually on the condition, trend and risk of decline in vegetation condition of pastoral rangelands in Western Australia (WA). This report is based on the information available to the end of September 2020.

Vegetation condition reflects the effects of 3 main drivers: seasonal quality (the timeliness and amount of rainfall), grazing pressure and fire. Reported trend in vegetation condition was based on remotely sensed vegetation cover for the 3 or 4 most productive pasture types in each region and greenness data (how much vegetation grew). Based on these trend data, in combination with rainfall data from the Bureau of Meteorology and relative stocking rates, the risk profiles for vegetation condition at the regional and land conservation district (LCD) scales were assessed using ISO 31000:2018–compliant risk tables. The Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS) data and on-ground traverse data provided absolute point-in-time information about pasture condition and an indication of condition trends at regional and LCD scales.

Rainfall in 2019–20 in the Northern Rangelands was average. However, the effects of the very dry 2018–19 season may still not be fully evident in the 2020 reported risk assessments. Above-average daytime temperatures also created additional water stress for many areas.

The WA pastoral rangeland estate covers about 860,000 square kilometres across 20 Australian bioregions, with a wide diversity of vegetation types, seasonal conditions and topography. The Northern Rangelands comprises the Kimberley and Pilbara regions, and the Southern Rangelands comprises the Gascoyne, Murchison and Goldfields–Nullarbor regions. A summary of the condition, trend and risk of vegetation condition decline across the entire rangelands and within LCDs in these regions is outlined below. Importantly, these assessments do not yet identify areas which are in poor vegetation condition, only which areas are vulnerable to further vegetation condition decline.

Number of Pages

83

Keywords

rangelands, condition monitoring, pastoral lands board, pastoral leases, rangeland resource surveys, pastoral lease inspection program, Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System

Disciplines

Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Environmental Monitoring | Natural Resources Management and Policy

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