Grazing pressure resulting from high stocking levels can change the surface cover levels and soil crust enough to dramatically increase the erosion hazard of a paddock. For the sandplain country west of Cobar, percentage live vegetation plus percentage litter( %veg +lit) was found to explain 77 % of the variation in wind erosion (Q). Erosion hazard could be greatly reduced if > than 54 % of cover ( %veg +lit) can be maintained. For a 75 km /hr wind, erosion rates of 6.78 t /ha /min were measured with a portable wind tunnel for the highest stocking rate (4 goats /ha). By reducing stocking rate to 1 goat /ha erosion rates fell 91.3 % and by reducing to 0.7 goats /ha erosion rates were 99.7 % less than the highest stocking rate. Wind erosion removed significant quantities of nutrient from the sandhills in the 4 goats /ha paddock. If nutrients were to be replaced as fertiliser, it would cost $0.69 /ha /min for the 4 goats /ha treatment, and $0.08 /ha /min for the 1 goat /ha treatment for a 75 km /hr wind.
Full-text publications from the Australian Rangelands Society (ARS) Biennial Conference Proceedings (1997-), Rangeland Journal (ARS/CSIRO; 1976-), plus videos and other resources about the rangelands of Australia.