Get reliable science

Abstract

The majority of Australian grazing lands have been degraded since European settlement, resulting in loss of

soil carbon and reduced capacity to provide ecosystem services, from primary productivity and climate

moderation to social and aesthetic values. Land degradation has also reduced resilience, making grazing

land more vulnerable and less able to adapt to the impacts of climate change. With an already variable

climate, much of the country is projected to become hotter and drier, with less rainfall, higher temperatures

and higher evapotranspiration likely to shift some currently arable land into rangelands...

This paper presents the preliminary results of a grazing study in south-eastern Australia comparing

continuous grazing and rotational grazing using high stocking density, short stocking periods and long rest

periods. Preliminary results show differences in pasture composition and response to rainfall between

stocking methods, with higher total carbon and total nitrogen under rotational than continuous grazing to

65cm other than in the surface soil where continuous grazing is higher.