Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Merging Conservation With Production In Remnant Bush, Anne Morgan, Alison Fuss

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Exports of cutflowers and foliage from Western Australia are now worth about $17 million a year. A third of this is picked from the bush, either on Crown Land or areas of remnant bush on private property. While the industry's future lies in cultivation, bush picking is likely to remain important for some years. This can provide both extra income for farmers and benefit the environment - as long as care is taken

How Sustainable Is Grazing Sheep On Annual Pastures In The Woolbelt?, Don Mcfarlane, Richard George

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Low wool prices have reduced the profitability of producing wool from clover-based annual pastures in the south-western woo/belt. The heavy reliance on one commodity is economically unsustainable for many farmers. But we should also consider how ecologically sustainable the practice is.

Shallow-rooted annual pastures contribute to widespread salinity in the area, annual legumes are acidifying the soils and making them water repellent, and bare, detached soils from heavy grazing cause sheet and rill erosion during autumn storms. In addition, stock are degrading remnant vegetation and destroying the soil's structure.

To counteract this degradation, the woo/belt needs more perennial pastures and …