Assessing Harvested Populations of the Euro (Macropus robustus erubescens) in the Barrier Ranges of Western New South Wales.

1999 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 165
Author(s):  
C.J. Southwell ◽  
N. Sheppard

Macropus robustus is one of several macropod species harvested commercially in Australia. In New South Wales the major areas where M. robustus impacts on land management practices, and hence harvesting occurs, are the New England region in the northeast, where the subspecies M. robustus robustus (the Wallaroo) occurs, and the Barrier Ranges region in the west, where the subspecies M. r. erubescens (the Euro) occurs. Assessing the size and trend of populations is an important aspect of harvest management. There has been no assessment of M. r. erubescens population size or trend in the Barrier Ranges. An aerial line transect survey in a 3350 km survey area encompassing the Barrier Ranges returned an estimated population size of 18,000 ±3,000 (SE) animals. This estimate is likely to be substantially negatively biased. Following this survey, a quota (the maximum number of animals that can be taken in a year) of 2400 was set for commercial harvesting of M r. erubescens in the Barrier Ranges region, representing a maximum annual harvest rate of 13%. Recommendations for improved methodology to reduce bias in future surveys are provided.

1963 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Cooper ◽  
J. R. Richards ◽  
A. W. Webb

Soil Research ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Miklos ◽  
Michael G. Short ◽  
Alex B. McBratney ◽  
Budiman Minasny

The reliable assessment of soil carbon stock is of key importance for soil conservation and mitigation strategies related to reducing atmospheric carbon. Measuring and monitoring soil carbon is complex because carbon pools cycle and rates of carbon sequestration vary across the landscape due to climate, soil type, and management practices. A new methodology has been developed and applied to make an assessment of the distribution of total, organic, and inorganic carbon at a grains research and grazing property in northern New South Wales at a high spatial resolution. In this study, baseline soil carbon maps were created using fine resolution, geo-referenced, proximal sensor data. Coupled with a digital elevation model and secondary terrain attributes, all of the data layers were combined by k-means clustering to develop a stratified random soil sampling scheme for the survey area. Soil samples taken at 0.15-m increments to a depth of 1 m were scanned with a mid-infrared spectrometer, which was calibrated using a proportion of the samples that were analysed in a laboratory for total carbon and inorganic carbon content. This combination of new methodologies and technologies has the potential to provide large volumes of reliable, fine resolution and timely data required to make baseline assessments, mapping, monitoring, and verification possible. This method has the potential to make soil carbon management and trading at the farm-scale possible by quantifying the carbon stock to a depth of 1 m and at a high spatial resolution.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fidelis Godfrey Jaravani ◽  
Michelle Butler ◽  
Paul Byleveld ◽  
David N. Durrheim ◽  
Peter. D. Massey ◽  
...  

Soil Research ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 340
Author(s):  
B. Kelly ◽  
C. Allan ◽  
B. P. Wilson

'Soil health' programs and projects in Australia's agricultural districts are designed to influence farmers' management behaviours, usually to produce better outcomes for production, conservation, and sustainability. These programs usually examine soil management practices from a soil science perspective, but how soils are understood by farmers, and how that understanding informs their farm management decisions, is poorly documented. The research presented in this paper sought to better understand how dryland farmers in the Billabong catchment of southern New South Wales use soil indicators to inform their management decisions. Thematic content analysis of transcripts of semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with farmers suggest several themes that have implications for soil scientists and other professionals wishing to promote soil health in the dryland farming regions of south-eastern Australia. In particular, all soil indicators, including those related to soil 'health', need to relate to some clear, practical use to farmers if they are to be used in farm decision making. This research highlights a reliance of the participants of this research on agronomists. Reliance on agronomists for soil management decisions may result in increasing loss of connectivity between farmers and their land. If this reflects a wider trend, soil health projects may need to consider where best to direct their capacity-building activities, and/or how to re-empower individual farmers.


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