Gulf Savannah NRM reveals the results of a two-year land condition monitoring project that assessed almost 300 sites across the Northern Gulf region.
The results are in. Regional land condition is generally poor, which is significantly reducing the land’s capacity to respond to rain and produce useful forage, and subsequently impacting the long-term carrying capacity (LTCC) of the Northern Gulf region. With nine out of every ten sites assessed showing degradation, the region’s LTCC is reducing by approximately 6,500 head of cattle every year.
By 2046, if this rate of declining land condition continues, then potential stock numbers could drop to 650,000 — a LTCC of 50%.
When monitoring was first carried out in 2004, the LTCC was at 72%, falling to around 66% by 2016. Land condition assessments carried out at 289 sites during 2023 show that the region’s LTCC has now declined to 60% (approx. 780,000 head). This means the trend is an annual reduction in LTCC of 0.5%.
Environment Team Leader at Gulf Savannah NRM, Marcus Mulholland, said sites had previously been monitored for land condition in 2004, 2012 and 2016.
‘The main project objective was to establish a sustainable monitoring system to understand the state of our region’s natural assets. We revisited and reassessed previously monitored sites using a Land Condition Assessment Tool (LCAT) to produce a comprehensive Northern Gulf region assessment and baseline data for future studies.’
The LCAT is a science-based framework developed by the Queensland Government that determines the current state of the land, by evaluating key indicators of long-term land condition.
‘We also worked with 15 graziers to provide training in land condition assessment and monitoring, including the LCAT app, alongside the construction of wet season spelling demonstration sites at some of their properties,’ said Marcus.
The demonstration sites were constructed to show the importance of regularly spelling paddocks and how land condition improves as a result. Training in traditional burning skills was also provided focusing on Indigenous fire management techniques to restore land condition, enhance ecological health, and control invasive species.
‘Measuring the influence grazing management strategies have on land condition enables a producer to evaluate the sustainability of their practices. This is more important than ever with global interest in the sustainability of agricultural supply chains, and this should encourage grazing producers to monitor and manage land condition for improved productivity and for market access and advantage,’ said Marcus.
This project is funded by the Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Recovery Program.
This article was first printed in the spring 2024 edition of the Gulf Croaker: