Climate change has been identified as a major issue for Australia’s rangelands. The Garnaut Interim Climate Change Review highlighted the risk that Australia, with an ‘already hot, dry and variable’ climate, faces under global warming. Large trends in rainfall and temperature have been occurring, particularly since the 1970s, with a general increase in rainfall in the north-western rangelands and a decrease in eastern Australia. The CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology have recently (CSIRO 2007) detailed climate change projections for regions of Australia, including changes in CO2, temperature, rainfall, rainfall intensity, solar radiation, humidity, wind and potential evaporation at annual and seasonal timescales. These projections consider a range of greenhouse emission scenarios, time periods (2030, 2050, 2070) and sensitivities to global warming. The challenge for rangeland science is to assess these projections in terms of impacts on rangeland grazing systems and their management. ...
Anderson, L., van Klinken, R. D., and Shepherd, D. (2008). Aerially surveying Mesquite (Prosopis spp.) in the Pilbara. In: 'A Climate of Change in the Rangelands. Proceedings of the 15th Australian Rangeland Society Biennial Conference'. (Ed. D. Orr) 4 pages. (Australian Rangeland Society: Australia).
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.