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Extensive pastoralism, (that is, the grazing of sheep and cattle) occupied 3.67 million km2 (59% of the rangelands) and contributed $1.8 billion (74% of rangeland agricultural production) in 2001 (Bastin et al. 2008). This production is important to the Australian economy, but at what environmental cost? There has been much debate in the rangelands literature and at past rangeland society conferences as to how sustainable current grazing practices are. Recent examples include Watson et al. (2007) (the density of longer-lived species important for livestock production are being maintained or increased at monitoring sites in the arid shrublands of WA) and Pringle et al. (2006) (acute degradation processes are still occurring in the same region, especially within and surrounding drainage lines). ...