Paper No. 18 



EFFECTS OF PAST GRAZING IN DETERMINING RANGE 

 MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES IN AUSTRALIA 



By J. C. Newman 1 



Abstract 



Grazing in arid Australia has been based on 

 optimism rather than fact, resulting in loss of 

 perennials, erosion and reduced productive capa- 

 city. The deteriorative trend can be halted if 

 grazing pressure is adjusted to conform to avail- 

 able knowledge of land capability. The man- 

 agement principles which appear to be appro- 

 priate, from a consideration of past practice, ex- 

 perience, and research follow. 



• Land type should govern grazing use and 

 grazing pressure. Consequently, land types 

 need to be identified, delineated, and described 

 in terms of factors related to grazing use. 

 Land type should be the basis on which all 

 developments, such as fencing and watering, 

 are superimposed. 



• The basic premise in assessing arid land capa- 

 bility is that the long-term protection of the 

 soil resource is vital. 



• Grazing should not utilize the resource above 

 a predetermined limit, the limit to be based 

 on a species with a protective role. 



• The landholder must be prepared to forego 

 short term financial advantages and accept a 

 long term investment. 



There is need at the quantitative level for 

 further knowledge to assist the scientist and pas- 

 toralist to measure the trend of pastures and to 

 know the limitations of the pasture species, par- 

 ticularly those with protective roles. The advan- 

 tages of spelling, establishment of waterspread 

 areas, and the feasibility of special grazing prac- 

 tices aimed at restoration or increase in produc- 

 tive capacity, need to be assessed. 



Range management implies manipulation, pref- 



' Special Soil Conservationist, N.S.W. Soil Conservation 

 Service, Sydney, Australia. 



erably informed manipulation, of the grazing 

 animal over the soil and vegetation resource. The 

 aim of management is to attain maximum sus- 

 tained use of the land without causing perma- 

 nent damage to the vegetation or soil. In Aus- 

 tralia, emphasis has been on livestock manage- 

 ment rather than on pasture management. Aus- 

 tralian pastoralists have developed a high degree 

 of expertise in management of livestock. Pastures, 

 however, receive only secondary consideration 

 when stock movements or reductions are planned. 



Additional key words: Land types, arid lands, 

 land capability, grazing assessment, soil conser- 

 vation. 



History Of Development 



The history of grazing use on arid and semi- 

 arid lands in Australia is similar to that which 

 has occurred in other parts of the new world. 

 The Australian experience is telescoped into a 

 shorter period. The result has been similar in all 

 States of the Commonwealth, whether sheep or 

 cattle or both were used. 



A major collapse occurred in eastern Australia 

 during the 1890's. The number of stock being 

 carried in the pastoral areas had increased sub- 

 stantially, costs had been rising, and pastoralists 

 met the situation by further increasing the num- 

 ber of stock they managed. 



Rabbits, which had been introduced to the 

 country as food animals, increased greatly and 

 exerted a serious effect on the pastures. The pe- 

 riod was marked by a series of drought years, 

 and the price for greasy wool fell to 5 cents per 

 pound. The effect extended beyond the arid areas, 

 but the arid areas were affected most. Sheep 

 flocks in Queensland fell by 60 percent, in N.S.W. 

 by 53 percent, and in South Australia by 35 per- 



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