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The Rangeland Journal The Rangeland Journal Society
Journal of the Australian Rangeland Society

The Rangeland Journal

The Rangeland Journal

The Rangeland Journal publishes original work on the biophysical, social, cultural, economic, and policy influences affecting rangeland use and management. Read more about the journalMore

Editor-in-Chief: Paul Novelly

Publishing Model: Hybrid. Open Access options available.

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Current Issue

Volume 45 Number 4 2023

RJ23030Applying two remotely-sensed methods for monitoring grazing impacts in the Australian arid zone

Gary Bastin, Robyn Cowley, Margaret Friedel 0000-0002-8350-636X and Chris Materne
pp. 141-159

The rainfall experienced in Australia’s arid rangelands can be so unpredictable that remote-sensing methods depending on regular growing seasons to detect grazing impacts are ineffective. We tested two methods that assess ground cover in the wettest and driest years respectively, across a 32-year period, for detecting trends in impacts. Despite limitations created by spatial variability and small paddocks, the methods provide an objective means of assessing trends in management impacts independent of arid Australia’s erratic climate.

RJ23047Adaptive multi-paddock grazing management reduces diet quality of yearling cattle in shortgrass steppe

Tamarah R. Jorns, J. Derek Scasta, Justin D. Derner 0000-0001-8076-0736, David J. Augustine, Lauren M. Porensky, Edward J. Raynor and
pp. 160-172

Adaptive, multi-paddock grazing may improve diet quality of livestock through managers moving livestock among paddocks, managing vegetation structure, and utilising differences among pastures to optimise diet quality. We compared diet quality of yearling steers by using this grazing system versus a non-rotational grazing system in semiarid, shortgrass steppe. We discovered that dietary crude protein was consistently 13–28% higher with non-rotational grazing. Differences were largest early in the grazing season and diet quality converged at the end of the grazing season. Managers applying adaptive multi-paddock grazing should be aware that lower diet quality can compromise livestock gains.

RJ23040Arid erosion mapping: comparing LiDAR and structure from motion

Angus Retallack 0000-0002-1920-7728, Dillon Campbell, Graeme Finlayson, Ramesh Raja Segaran, Bertram Ostendorf, Molly Hennekam, Sami Rifai and Megan Lewis
pp. 173-186

Preserving and restoring arid landscapes requires accurate monitoring to assess the effectiveness of management actions and identify degraded areas. Degradation of land by humans has put more areas at risk of soil erosion; three-dimensional maps generated using overlapping drone photographs are capable of measuring arid gully erosion as precisely as a 3D laser scanner. This finding greatly increases the accessibility of essential erosion monitoring for land managers, representing a far lower cost and less complex method than laser scanning.

Online Early

The peer-reviewed and edited version of record published online before inclusion in an issue

Published online 19 February 2024

RJ23045Toward land restoration transitions: elevating regional voices and the provenance of co-benefits in Queensland rangelands

Nikki P. Dumbrell 0000-0001-8876-8257, Catherine J. Robinson, Katie D. Ricketts, Danilo Urzedo, Lisa Walker and Anthelia J. Bond
 

As Australia’s rangelands host increasing investment in land restoration for carbon abatement, opportunities and tensions are emerging where carbon abatement projects do and do not align with regional objectives. We outline an approach to understand regional contexts to support the negotiation of land restoration investments that provide co-benefits that align with community aspirations and transition pathways. We show that regional conditions shape the extent to which communities can take on and access valuable co-benefits associated with land restoration for carbon abatement.

Recently, many carbon and ecosystem service markets have been initiated in grazing lands and rangelands worldwide. This study, based on in depth interviews with 34 stakeholders, has provided insights into the opportunities and constraints related to environmental service market policy. We recommend an approach that incorporates the concepts of multi-stakeholder participation and roundtables, which have been advocated as a more effective way to manage wicked policy problems that span financial, regulatory, agricultural, and other systems.

Just Accepted

These articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. They are still in production and have not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

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Prize Announcement

CSIRO Publishing is very pleased to sponsor the following prizes that were awarded at the ARS Broome Conference, 2023. Read more

Call for Papers

We are seeking proposals for Special Issues. More

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