Under extensive grazing, cattle exercise choice in where they graze and the pasture species they prefer to graze. Often, these choices are influenced by physical drivers in the landscape, such as slope, tree cover and proximity to water and supplements. However, the relative importance of these drivers under different grazing situations is poorly understood. This makes it difficult to manage cattle for optimum economic and environmental benefits. It is widely cited that cattle preferentially graze and spend time in riparian zones (Kauffman and Krueger 1984). This has negative impact on stream bank erosion (Buckhouse and Gifford 1976), ground cover and biodiversity. The objective of this study was to quantify animal movement in a riverine environment using global positioning system (GPS) technology and determine if there was a preference for frequenting and grazing in riparian zones and assess factors that may influence that preference.Â
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.