Rehydrating the Rangelands
A Rangelands Rehydration Field Day held at Boolcoomatta Station in North East Pastoral District in May has supported land managers to implement regenerative grazing practices and increased their understanding of landscape rehydration principles.
Twenty-six people attended the event. They included 16 people directly responsible for the management of 15 arid or low rainfall region properties or pastoral leases and 10 people who undertake extension and capacity building or training roles with a range of land managers in the SA and NSW rangeland regions.
The event was hosted by Bush Heritage Australia and supported by SAAL as part of the From the Ground Up project, which focuses on soil health and grazing and land management practices. Boolcoomatta Station is one of many soil testing demonstration sites for the project within the SA Arid Lands region.
A pastoral lease, Boolcoomatta Station has been destocked and actively managed for conservation values since being purchased by Bush Heritage Australia in 2006. The property has a diverse range of land and soil types and various legacy issues from historical overgrazing, track placement and human-induced soil disturbance activity.
Baseline soil data was collected from sites across the property before the event and the results, site history and a soil testing demonstration were shared to attendees during the event. This included data on carbon cycling, water infiltration and soil chemistry analysis.
As part of the two day event, the Mulloon Institute was engaged by Bush Heritage Australia to deliver and present rangeland rehydration learnings. Lance Mudgeway presented a range of topics that incorporated classroom theory, mapping exercises, landscape water cycle demonstrations, field based site visits and assessments.
The field day increased the number of land managers aware of the importance of trialling and adopting drought resilient land management practices. It also strengthened collaborative networks between land managers and demonstrated the effectiveness of combinations of land management practices in improving drought resilience.
Participants gained a better understanding of reading landscapes and identifying and prioritising issues; planning for smaller scale works, and the importance of monitoring to understand and determine impacts; understanding rangeland rehydration principles and the connection between plants, water, biology and soil; and identifying the symptoms and causes of erosion.
Feedback from participants was positive and included: “Very valuable training that has given me a starting point and direction for developing a landscape rehydration plan for when I get back home.”
From the Ground Up is supported by the SA Arid Lands Landscape Board, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
