Global influences on rangelands of Australia

Globalisation is a key pressure affecting the current and future use of the rangelands of Australia. While primary producers often perceive an insatiable demand for food as a guarantee of business success, declining population growth rates and high levels of productivity improvement in world food production are reducing the importance of food and fibre from the rangelands. This, combined with significant changes in consumer demands, is driving rangeland producers to meet market specifications for quality, safety, animal welfare and sustainability. Sustainability is a particular challenge with the rangelands certain to be affected by global warming and the politics and strategies required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently the rangelands produce a higher proportion of greenhouse gases compared with their contribution to the economy. However, they also provide an opportunity for carbon sequestration. While international trade liberalisation has been of advantage to the grazing industries in the rangelands, increased global awareness of the Australian rangelands, facilitated by the communications revolution, is encouraging alternative uses including tourism, existence value and other conservation and biodiversity management uses. The growing concept of multi-functionality will also impact on the rangelands as international government programmes continue to encourage non-commercial, surplus production of food. These influences are forcing major changes in the way land is used and what it produces.