Week 10 Rangelands Flashcards
Define a rangelands farming system
Semi-natural ecosystem in which a productive output is obtained by adding domestic stock
Consists of Herbs, grasses, shrubs and trees
Largely semi-arid to arid country
Very large properties 700000Ha
Low stocking rate
Low level management
Generally describe the attributes of rangelands
Bounded by 275mm isohyet in Southern Aust where crops arent grown
Over 1/3 aust rainfall below 250mm
70% considered semi arid or arid, 26% too dry to farm, 9% for aborigianl reserves
Describe the type of land tenure system that much of the rangelands are under and how that might impact on development
Mot under lease tenture
Involvement of various governments in determining the conditions of the lease
THis means little development has occured- eg frences, fert, inproved pasture etc
More than 80% of Australias land but supports only 3% of population
Large proportion of Indigenous communities
Outline some of the values of the rangelands
Inherent (Aesthetics, tourism)
Production values
Biodiversity and Ecosystem services
Outline the limitations of the rangelands
Vaiable rainfall Low ability to fatten poor reproductive performance Poor grazing management Transport Production and environmental concerns
Describe some of the key characteristics of the northern rangelands
Dry and Wet seasons Live Export SUmmer dominate rainfall Bos Indicus cattle (brahman background) Breading operations and growing young stock out to 18-24 months
Why export live
Originally due to lack of refrigeration
Lower cost labour in importing countries
Importing country self sufficiency
Types of Nth rangelands
Tropical/Sub-tropical woodlands, high rainfall (cape york)
Hummock Grasslands Spinifex (sand dune country central and west)
Mitchell grassland
Naturally iccuring grassland with no tress (nth west nse, cw qld)
Arid Woodlands
Central aust
Describe some of the key characteristics of the southern rangelands
Equiseasonal - winter dominat rainfall
Predominatley strong wool merino (15% of total sheep in aust)
Other stock - gcattle and goats
Increasingly more specialist meat sheep = dorpers
Explain the drivers for feed supply in rangelands and describe the diversity of feed
Feed is highly variable within seasons and between seasons due to variable rainfall
Includes emphiral, annual and perennial species
Drought is common
Describe the grazing management tools available to use in the rangelands and explain how they can be utilised
Commonly set stocked
Tools include
Fencing, distribution of water points, SR
Fencing
Size of paddock affect utilisaiton with increased SR of 40-90%
Fence similar land classes
Cost benefit analysis
Distribution of watering points
Radius of 5km
Watering points 6-10km apart
Can use for trapping of pests or mustering stock
Describe what is meant by total grazing pressure in the rangelands and why it is important
Camels, goats, roos
Grazing animals include more than just domestic stock
3-30#% grazing pressure if goats
16-36% is roos
outline the causes and effects of invasive native scrub
Increased woody weeds due to lack of fire events
Now controlled by fire, grazing, mechanical, chemical
Bulldozer, ploughing
Legislation makes it hard these days