Environmental Monitoring Commons^™

Report To The Pastoral Lands Board On The Condition Of The Western Australian Pastoral Resource Base 2012, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, Commissioner Of Soil And Land Conservation

Natural resources published reports

This report documents changes in the Western Australian pastoral rangelands at Land Conservation District (LCD) scales, providing updated information on seasonal quality, stock numbers and changes in the density/frequency of perennial shrubs and grasses. It is based on data from the Bureau of Meteorology, the Annual Return of Livestock and Improvements (submitted annually by pastoral lessees) and the Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS). The sixth assessment of the Kimberley (grassland) sites (Epoch 6) was completed in 2011 . The second full cycle (i.e. three assessments) was completed for shrubland sites in 2010. This report discusses changes recorded over 201 …

Report To The Commissioner Of Soil Conservation On The Condition Of The Western Australian Pastoral Resource Base 2011, Paul Novelly, Philip Thomas

Natural resources published reports

Western Australia's rangelands cover 87% of the state and include all but the south west. Pastoral leases, used for grazing livestock on native vegetation, cover 35% (874,000 km2) of the rangelands, with the balance consisting of Unallocated Crown Land (UCL) and land vested for conservation and Indigenous purposes. There are currently 459 registered pastoral stations (comprised of 51 O pastoral leases) in Western Australia; 159 stations are in the Northern Rangelands (Kimberley and Pilbara - 92 in the Kimberley and the remainder in the Pilbara), 291 stations in the Southern Rangelands, and nine stations in the South West Land Division. …

Report To The Commissioner Of Soil Conservation On The Condition Of The Pastoral Resource Base 2010, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

Western Australia’s rangelands cover 87% of the state and include all but the south west. Pastoral leases, used for grazing of livestock on native vegetation, cover 35% (874,000 km2) of the rangelands, with Unallocated Crown Lands (UCL) and lands vested for conservation and Indigenous purposes making up the balance. There are currently 459 registered pastoral stations (made up of 510 pastoral leases) in Western Australia; there are 159 stations in the Northern Rangelands (Kimberley and Pilbara), 291 stations in the Southern Rangelands, and nine stations in the South West Land Division.

Annual Pastoral Land Condition Report: 2008 / 2009 Financial Year, Paul E. Novelly, Philip Thomas

Natural resources published reports

This report to the Pastoral Lands Board of Western Australia presents information for the 2008/2009 financial year. The report also satisfies the Commissioner of Soil and Land Conservation’s obligation to provide the Pastoral Lands Board with a report on the current condition of land under pastoral leases in the State.

The report provides background information on pastoral leases, seasonal conditions and pastoral land condition, using information from the Bureau of Meteorology, the Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS) and the pastoral lease inspection program of the Department of Agriculture & Food Western Australia (DAFWA).

Pastoral leases cover 87.4 million hectares …

Western Australian Natural Resource Management Plan 09, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

The purpose of the State Natural Resource Management [NRM] Plan is to communicate the direction for sustainably managing Western Australia's natural resources.

This direction has been informed by previous initiatives such as the 'Decade of Landcare', several programs focused on salinity, the Western Australian State Sustainability Strategy (2009), and more recently a report commissioned by the State entitled The delivery of Natural Resources Management in Western Australia - a review (2006), which recommended preparation of an NRM Plan. The review noted that the most important issue for the State to clarify first was the outcome it seeks rather than how …

Annual Pastural Land Condition Report: 2007 / 2008 Financial Year, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

The Commissioner of Soil and Land Conservation is required under section 137 (2) of the Land Administration Act 1997 to provide the Pastoral Lands Board with a report on the current condition of land under pastoral leases in the State. This report presents information from the Department of Agriculture and Food’s pastoral lease inspection program for the 2007/2008 financial year.

Pastoral leases cover 36% (89 million hectares) of Western Australia and range from the tropical grasslands in the north through to the arid shrublands in the south, with rainfall ranging from 1,400 mm in the north Kimberley to less than …

Annual Pastoral Land Condition Report 2006 / 2007 Financial Year, Sandra Van Vreeswyk, Philip Thomas

Natural resources published reports

The Department of Agriculture and Food provides services to the Pastoral Lands Board under a Memorandum of Understanding, and is required to provide an annual report to the Board on the overall land condition on pastoral leases throughout the rangelands of Western Australia. This report presents information for the 2006/2007 financial year. The report also satisfies the Commissioner of Soil and Land Conservation’s obligation to provide the Pastoral Lands Board with a report on the current condition of land under pastoral leases in the State.

The report provides background information on pastoral leases, seasonal conditions and economic conditions, and then …

Annual Pastural Land Condition Report: 2005 / 2006 Financial Year, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

The following 2005/06 Annual Report to the Western Australian Pastoral Lands Board presents an assessment of overall land condition on pastoral properties throughout the Rangelands of Western Australia.

The Western Australian Rangelands pastoral estate consists of 466 Stations covering approximately 910 000 km2. This equates to 42% of the States Rangelands. The total number of pastoral leases has continued to decline from the previous reporting period and there are currently 478 stations (525 Leases).

The Rangelands are made up of a diverse range of climates from the semi arid tropics in the north to the arid south. Topography and rainfall …

Annual Report To The Pastoral Lands Board Of Western Australia: 2004 / 2005 Financial Year, Rod Williams, Philip Thomas

Natural resources published reports

The Department of Agriculture Western Australia has prepared this Annual Report for the financial year 2004 – 2005. The format is consistent with the previous two years, and now encapsulates enhanced detail and a broader range of headings within the report.

The Department of Agriculture’s services to the Board are outlined and environmental indicators are presented at the regional and property scales. New information being presented to the Board in this report includes Pastoral Lease property transfers, an explanation of the emerging Natural Resource Management program in the rangelands, the Australian Collaborative Rangeland Information System (ACRIS), an introduction to Carnarvon …

Site Assessments, Martyn Keen

Natural resources published reports

The processes of collecting and recording site data as part of the preliminary tasks leading to a landscape or project design.

This standard applies to landscape and project designs for catchments of any size. Designs include: the installation of conservation earthworks; revegetation; land use planning; or implementation of erosion and sediment control practices. The design may also include any combination of the above

Roaded Catchments, Martyn Keen

Natural resources published reports

A roaded catchment is one of the water harvesting structures known collectively as improved catchments. It has a broad 'V' shaped cross section and a surface cover of clay. It is used to increase run-off yield and divert water to farm dams.

Annual Report To The Pastoral Lands Board Of Western Australia: 2003 / 2004 Financial Year, Rod Williams, Philip Thomas

Natural resources published reports

The Department of Agriculture has prepared this Annual Report for the Pastoral Lands Board of Western Australia for the financial year 2003 – 2004. This is the second report incorporating this framework and provides expanded information on issues and trends for a number of indicators of importance to Western Australia’s rangelands.

The Department of Agriculture’s services to the Board are outlined and environmental indicators based on scientific analysis of range condition trend are presented at the regional and property scales. Seasonal conditions at the state level with more specific information at the regional level and information relating to the assistance …

Groundwater Trends In The North Stirling Pallinup Sub-Region, Ruhi Ferdowsian, Lisa Crossing

Natural resources published reports

The South Coast Regional Initiative Planning Team (SCRIPT) has divided the South Coast region of Western Australia into six sub-regions. This publication describes the groundwater trends, risk of shallow watertables, and technical feasibility of salinity management in the agricultural district of the North Stirling Pallinup sub-region.

This sub-region encompasses the Stirling Range National Park, the North Stirling Basin to the north-east of the Park, and the middle and upper catchments of the Pallinup River. Almost 90% (500,000 ha) of the sub-region's alienated land has been cleared for agriculture, and salinity has been identified as an important issue.

Soil-landscape zones are …

Groundwater Trends In The Fitzgerald Biosphere Sub-Region, Adam Lillicrap

Natural resources published reports

The South Coast Regional Initiative Planning Team (SCRIPT) has divided the South Coast region into six sub-regions. The Fitzgerald Biosphere sub-region is located in the centre of the South Coast region of Western Australia (Figure 1). It is bounded by the Pallinup River to the east, Jerdacuttup River to the west, and includes the catchments of the Gairdner, Fitzgerald and Phillips Rivers. The sub-region encompasses the Fitzgerald Biosphere Reserve and just over half (730,000 ha) has been cleared for agriculture.

This publication describes the groundwater trends, risk of shallow watertables, and technical feasibility of salinity management in the soil landscape …

Groundwater Trends In The Kent-Frankland Sub-Region, Arjen Ryder

Natural resources published reports

The South Coast Regional Initiative Planning Team (SCRIPT) has divided the South Coast region of Western Australia into six sub-regions. Kent-Frankland covers the catchments of the Frankland, Gordon and Kent' Rivers. Approximately two-thirds (450,000 ha) has been cleared for agriculture. This publication describes the groundwater trends, risk of shallow watertables, and technical feasibility of salinity management on agricultural land.

Soil-landscape zones are spatial units based on geology and geomorphology. Since most groundwater processes in WA are controlled by the geologic and regolith properties, these zones can be used for allocating hydrological attributes, such as groundwater characteristics and trends. The hydrological …

Groundwater Trends In The Albany Hinterland Sub-Region, Arjen Ryder

Natural resources published reports

The South Coast Regional Initiative Planning Team (SCRIPT) has divided the South Coast region of Western Australia into six sub-regions The Albany Hinterland is in the western portion (see Figure 1). It is bounded by the Pallinup River in the east. Stirling Ranges to the north and the Kent River catchment boundary in the west. Two-thirds (580.000 ha) of the sub-region has been cleared for agriculture This publication describes the groundwater trends, risk of shallow watertables, and technical feasibility of salinity management within the agricultural land

Soil-landscape zones are spatial units based on geology and geomorphology. Since most groundwater processes …

Annual Report To The Pastoral Lands Board Of Western Australia: 2002 / 2003 Financial Year, Rod Williams, Sandra Van Vreeswyk, Philip Thomas

Natural resources published reports

The Department of Agriculture has prepared this Annual Report for the Pastoral Lands Board of Western Australia for the financial year 2002 – 2003. The report details trends in a number of indicators of importance to Western Australia’s rangelands.

The Department of Agriculture’s activities to the Board are outlined and environmental indicators are presented at the regional and property scales. New methodologies of pastoral lease inspections incorporating a categorisation model are also introduced. The integrated assessment processes incorporating rangeland resource and condition surveys, pastoral lease inspection processes, and WARMS provides land users with a sound information base from which informed …

Developing An Environmental Management System A Practical Guidebook For Agricultural Businesses, Lucy Taylor

Natural resources published reports

An environmental management system is a tool that many businesses use to improve their environmental performance. Having an environmental management system enables a business to identify and improve management of their significant environmental impacts.

Environmental management systems work to minimise environmental impacts by following a standard 'plan-do-check-improve' management framework. This framework focuses on identifying significant environmental impacts, setting performance targets, establishing means of achieving targets and maintaining sufficient records to show that targets have been reached. Environmental management systems can assist agricultural businesses in:

* improving resource management

* building public confidence in the environmental management of agriculture

* increasing …

Burakin Focus Catchment Report, Mike Clarke

Natural resources published reports

The Burakin Focus Catchment Project was developed between farmers and Agriculture _ Western Australia. The project was designed to give farmers an understanding of the salinity processes occurring within the Catchment and suggestions on appropriate management.

Work began in the Catchment early in 1999 and was complete at the end of 2000. Intensive hydrological investigations formed the basis of the study, which was complemented by surface water control and revegetation strategies. Agronomic issues associated with sandplain soils were raised by the farmers at the initial meeting and this led to a soil survey to determine the pH status of the …

Farming Systems To Manage Salinity. Farmer Directed Research, Development And Extension. Research Results 2001, Richard Olive

Natural resources published reports

More and more of Western Australia's agnicultural lands are becoming saline. Currently it is estimated that about 18 milliion ha of land are affected to a greater or lesser degree by salinity causing production losses estimated at about $70 million a year.

Unless ways are found to halt and reverse the salinisation of land it is estimated that another 4.4 million ha could become saline over the next 50 years.

Grain growers and the Federal Government, through the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). are investing $12 4 million in R&D across Australia to develop productive solutions to the salinity …

Profiting From Adversity - Meeting The Challenge Of Salinity Through New Industry Development, Andrew Quinn, Tamara Law, Peter Rowe

Natural resources published reports

Salinity in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia is one of the most significant challenges facing the State's agricultural sector.

Efforts to manage the increasing effect of salt influenced and threatened farming land requires not only the implementation of new farming systems, but a new way of thinking and attitude to production more in tune with environmental and technological limitations.

While past environment lobby pressures have significantly focused on other production activities such as mining and forestry, the future is likely to see increased community interest in agricultural production systems.

Consumers World wide are becoming more environmentally sensitive, with global media …

Low Recharge Farming Systems. Case Studies On The South Coast, Arjen Ryder, Jamie Bowyer, Gerry Skinner, Clare Mccarron

Natural resources published reports

This booklet is intended as a guide to assist land managers to design or select low recharge farming systems. Options that increase water use are described with benefits and issues for each option.

Case studies describe the experiences of landholders who have had a go at establishing and managing such systems. Examples are included from different rainfall zones. The systems mentioned in this manual are only a guide.

Case studies describe the experiences of landholders who have hada go at establishing and managing such systems. Examples are included from different rainfall zones. The systems mentioned in this manual are only …

Managing Eucalypt Wheatbelt Woodlands - Revegetation On Farms Information Kit, David Bicknell

Natural resources published reports

Revegetation on farms

The Revegetation on Farms Project and the material in this Information Kit is targeted at the agricultural zone of Western Australia with less than 600 mm rainfall. Some of the information is valid outside this range.

All information is provided in good faith, to help make informed revegetation decisions leading to sustainable land use.

Eucalypt Woodlands A Guide To Management, Liz Brown, Colin Holt

Natural resources published reports

This guide was mainly developed using information gathered from studies in Salmon gum (E. salmonophloia) woodlands. However, the principles in this guide can be broadly applied as it considers the general ecological processes that occur within most woodlands.

If your goal is to restore a woodland to a healthy, functioning unit with a range of original species, this guide provides a way of diagnosing the health of individual woodlands and some of the causes of poor health. It also suggests some relevant management actions.

There is a huge array of different types of Euclaypr Woodlands in the Western Australian Whearbelr, …

Agriculture Western Australia's Great Southern Agricultural Research Institute Katanning, Agriculture Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

Agriculture Western Australia's Great Southern Agricultural Research Institute has been established as a centre of excellence for research, development and extension into sustainable farming systems The. agency has a long association with the town of Katanning dating back to 1925 when the agency provided a general agricultural advisor.

The new Institute is strategically located in the heart of key sheep and cropping production areas with significant growth potential.

Its role is to stimulate the contribution of ideas from individuals, groups and organisations with an interest in research, development and extension relating to innovative, profitable and sustainable animal and cropping based …

Community Support For Natural Resource Management. Future Frameworks: Future Needs, Fionnuala Frost, Wendy Dymond, Soil And Land Conservation Council Of Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

A report prepared for the Soil and Land Conservation Council of Western Australia.

Emerging from the Decade of Landcare is growing recognition that regional and local community involvement is integral to the success of any natural resource management (NRM) outcome. It is integral for a number of reasons:

1. Community support provides the capacity to develop plans and strategies at local, regional scale which are owned by the community who review (technical recommendations, advice and information and adapt them to suit local need;

2. Community knowledge provides an important balance to research knowledge and State and regional level strategies and …

Degradation In The Brockman River And Ellen Brook Catchments, Western Australia, Brian Lloyd

Natural resources published reports

An eight day survey of degradation in the Ellen Brook and Brockman River catchments revealed several areas of concern. Key concerns are:

Erosion and sedimentation

Various forms of erosion were observed during the survey that would cumulatively have an effect on the quality of both the Ellen Brook and the Brockman Rivers, and ultimately the Swan River. Erosion resulted from many situations including landholder management, subdivision design and infrastructure maintenance. Raising awareness as to consequences of erosion and sedimentation, along with remedial techniques and best management practices is recommended for the various levels of stakeholders.

Eutrophication

Eutrophication has been established …

Dalyup Catchment 2000, Esperance Catchment Support Team

Natural resources published reports

This 'State of the Dalyup Catchment' document is a snapshot of the condition of the Catchment in the year 2000. It records the current level of knowledge of the natural resources in the Catchment and discusses some of the management issues and options. This document is a benchmark and through ongoing monitoring, trends in the condition of the Catchment can be identified.

Its primary purpose is as a tool for resource planning such as a surface water management plan, river action plan or revegetation plan. It can also be used in the preparation of funding applications.

Maritime Pine For Western Australia - Revegetation On Farms Information Kit, David Bicknell, Department Of Conservation And Land Management

Natural resources published reports

Revegetation on farms

The Revegetation on Farms Project and the material in this Information Kit is targeted at the agricultural zone of Western Australia with less than 600 mm rainfall. Some of the information is valid outside this range.

All information is provided in good faith, to help make informed revegetation decisions leading to sustainable land use.

TreeNote No 20 - Weed control in eucalypts and pines

TreeNote No 21 - Insect pests of eucalypts and pines

In search of the perfect pine - David Gough (Article)

Farming carbon - Syd Shea (Article)

The Use Of Bauxite Residue As A Soil Amendment In The Peel -Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment - Environmental Monitoring Report August 1999, Mark Rivers

Natural resources published reports

The Peel-Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment is located immediately south of Perth in Western Australia and covers approximately 190,000 ha. It extends from Forrestdale in the north to Harvey in the south, and west from the Darling Scarp to Mandurah on the coast. The boundary of the catchment, as illustrated in Figure 1, represents the area which has been approved by the DEP for the broadscale application of Alkaloam as a soil amendment. (This figure also indicates features and regions of importance in this project).

The region experiences a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters with most …