Publication Date
2019
Publisher
Western Australian Agriculture Authority
City
Perth
Abstract
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) reports annually on the condition, trend and risk of pastoral rangelands in Western Australia. This report is based on the information available to the end of 2018.
Vegetation condition reflects the effects of three main drivers: seasonal quality (the timeliness and amount of rainfall), grazing pressure and fire. Trend in vegetation condition was based on remotely sensed vegetation cover (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, MODIS) and greenness (how much vegetation grew) data, the Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS) on-ground site data, and on-ground traverse data. Based on these trend data, in combination with Bureau of Meteorology rainfall data 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. This approach was designed to provide more-robust risk profiles compared to those presented in previous assessments of condition reported by DPIRD.
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 Kimberley and Pilbara regions comprise the Northern Rangelands, and the Gascoyne, Murchison and Goldfields–Nullarbor regions comprise the Southern Rangelands. A summary of the condition, trend and risk of vegetation condition decline across the entire rangelands and within LCDs in these regions follows.
Number of Pages
60
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
Recommended Citation
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development 2019, Status of the Western Australian pastoral rangelands 2018: condition, trend and risk, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Perth.
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