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Abstract:
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The potential cattle carrying capacity of Kimberley rangelands has been reduced from an estimated potential of around 1 million cattle units by as much as 30 to 40% as a result of declining range condition. However, while cattle numbers were undoubtedly excessive in some areas, the area of severely degraded and eroded rangeland in the region is relatively small. While some pasture types are defined as being in poor range condition, others pasture types remain in close to pristine condition. An analogous situation exists in parts of the Northern Territory, particularly the Victoria River District. A preferred option to addressing this problem, and one that may be more commercially acceptable to managers, would be modify the cattle grazing distribution to the extent possible by low cost means, and so making forage use more uniform across the landscape, while concurrently monitoring the grazing impact on the more preferred pasture types to ensure that they are not being overused. By partially mitigating the effects of spatially uneven grazing pressure and strategically spelling areas based on identified soil and vegetation indicators, a more uniform and sustainable grazing pattern would exist, permitting more profitable and sustainable production.
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