Preparing the landscape for rehydration
Landholders from the Kingoonya, North Flinders and North East Pastoral districts are more confident in principles of landscape rehydration following workshops held at Kingoonya and Mt Victor Station in May.
The workshops were delivered by the Mulloon Institute.
The first, held at Kingoonya, offered a day of learning about soil hydrology and landscape processes impacting native pastures and land condition. Land managers from 11 pastoral properties learned about track maintenance and repair, planning fencelines, track improvements and understanding the impact livestock behaviour has on soil health.
It included a mix of paddock site visits and classroom exercises and was offered after members of the Kingoonya District Group identified soil conservation and landscape rehydration as priority learning areas.
It also included an information session about carbon markets during the lunch break.
The second, at Mt Victor Station in the North East Pastoral district, was offered as an advanced bootcamp. It provided follow up to a workshop held at Boolcoomatta in 2024 and was delivered in an area with active and historical erosion challenges.
The bootcamp offered land managers with a sound understanding of landscape rehydration principles an opportunity to further their understanding of ways to improve water retention, reduce erosion and plan rehabilitation activities to effectively improve the small water cycle with increased vegetation and healthier soil outcomes.
The mixture of hands-on activities, sharing of experience and discussion kept attendees engaged. It was attended by 16 people, representing eight pastoral properties and the mining and conservation sectors.
The workshops were supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate Smart Agriculture Program and the South Australian Government’s Landscape Priorities Fund.
