Pastoralists’ knowledge of plant palatability and grazing indicators in an arid region of South Australia

Abstract

Indicator species have been used for several decades as measures of ecosystem health. In arid Australian rangelands, which are dominated by commercial grazing enterprises reliant on native pastures, the development of efficacious indicators is particularly important to monitor production and biodiversity values. The high temporal and spatial climatic variability of arid rangelands means that developing broad indicators is difficult and resource intensive. However, pastoralists, who observe their pastures and the species favoured by stock under a range of conditions, can provide information on local indicators. This paper examines pastoralists’ knowledge in terms of its value for natural resource management in rangelands, including their use of local indicators and understanding of palatability of selected plant species. A survey was mailed to all 51 occupants of pastoral properties in the Stony Plains region of South Australia. Pastoralists were asked what species they considered indicators of overgrazing, whether they would destock if they noted changes in these indicators, what they knew of the palatability of certain plant species, and the usefulness of cracking-clay areas (a key landscape feature in the region) for grazing. Views of respondents on indicator species and plant palatability mostly concurred with published reports on the preferences of livestock for these species. A wide range of indicators (all perennial plant species and no animal species) was listed by respondents, suggesting that indicators are highly location-specific, plant-focussed, and not viewed consistently among pastoralists. Respondents related specific information about cracking-clay areas on their leases, including the influence of the timing and amount of rainfall on pasture productivity, and the value of these areas for livestock. It can be difficult for natural resource management practitioners, who may not observe the landscape regularly, to evaluate land condition and prescribe appropriate land management strategies. It is argued that the participation of pastoralists in science and policy development is fundamental to achieving sustainable land management, providing opportunities for social learning within an adaptive management framework.

Small Australian desert vertebrate responses to grazing intensity during La Niña

“…Consequently, the condition of gilgais (i.e., if they are wet or dry) influences local stocking rates (Flemming 1998), and potentially cattlegrazing patterns (Waudby et al 2013b). We also suggest that since these landscapes are typically only grazed for a short time after rainfall when ephemeral plant growth is greatest (Waudby et al 2013a), grazing pressure is likely exerted for a short time. Small vertebrates may be able to cope with these short periods of grazing, explaining why we did not see strong effects of grazing on the sample species.…”

“…These systems support sparse vegetation in dry years, mostly in the form of perennial, chenopod shrubs, but produce dense flushes of ephemeral plant growth during high rainfall years, when they are used by pastoralists as opportunistic pastures (Waudby et al 2013a). Gilgais (clay-based depressions where cracks occur) characterise the landscape.…”

Monitoring to Learn, Learning to Monitor: A Critical Analysis of Opportunities for Indigenous Community‐Based Monitoring of Environmental Change in Australian Rangelands

“…Ecosystems within semi‐arid rangelands are dependent upon extremely variable rainfall events and consequent water flows (Ludwig and Tongway, ; Stafford‐Smith et al ., ). This stochasticity both in space and in time presents difficulties for maintaining monitoring consistency and detecting significant changes or causal relationships (Ludwig and Tongway, ; Morton et al ., ; White et al ., ; Waudby et al ., ). A difference of days between observations before or after major rainfall events can mean the difference between a landscape that appears degraded and one that is lush and seemingly full of wildlife (Box et al ., ).…”

“…Participatory approaches to monitoring and managing natural resources acknowledge traditional and/or local environmental knowledge as often providing valid complementary perspectives to Western science‐driven knowledge (Gomez‐Baggethun et al ., ; Waudby et al ., ; Staddon et al ., ; Tengö et al ., ). Not only is better information being derived from the recognition of local knowledge as a core component of any understanding of natural resource condition, but importantly, community‐based monitoring aims to simultaneously empower local communities (Danielsen et al ., ).…”

Disintegration of cattle hoof prints in cracking-clay soils of the arid South Australian Stony Plains region during a wet period

“…These soils are also habitat to a diversity of other small animal species, including endemic reptiles such as gibber dragons (Ctenophorus gibba), and little-known species such as Woomera sliders (Lerista elongata) (Waudby, 2013;Petit et al, 2012;Waudby and Petit, 2011). Pastoralists in the region consider these soils to be important opportunistic sources of stock fodder following sufficient rainfall (Waudby et al, 2013b). The integrity of these soil cracks is likely to be of critical importance to biodiversity conservation in the region (Waudby, 2013).…”