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Abstract

An estimated 110 Mt of dust is eroded by wind from the Australian land surface each year,

mainly originating from the arid and semi-arid rangelands. Livestock production is thought to

increase the susceptibility of the land surface to wind erosion by reducing vegetation cover

and modifying surface soil stability. However, research is yet to quantify the impacts of

grazing land management on the erodibility of rangelands, or determine how these impacts

vary between land types. We present a simulation analysis that links a pasture growth and

animal production model (GRASP) to the Australian Land Erodibility Model (AUSLEM) to

evaluate the impacts of stocking rates and stocking strategies on the erodibility of the Mulga

Lands in western Queensland, Australia. Our results show that adopting conservative and

flexible stocking rates, that enable managers to maintain land in good condition can help

reduce the susceptibility of the Mulga Lands to wind erosion.