Monitoring changes in pastoral rangelands - the Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS)

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. W. Watson ◽  
P. E. Novelly ◽  
P. W. E. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring System ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Surface Condition ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Field Methods ◽  
Rangeland Monitoring ◽  
Western Australian

The Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS) consists of a set of ~1620 permanent sites distributed across the pastoral rangelands of Western Australia used for commercial livestock grazing. The system is designed to provide information to government and the general community on changes in Western Australia’s rangelands, rather than to individual landholders. It is designed to report at the regional or vegetation type level by selectively sampling representative areas of the rangelands, with representation occurring at several levels. The system was fully implemented by 1999 and all sites, except a small number of ongoing replacements, have now been re-assessed at least once. Two site types are used. In grassland areas, the frequency of all perennial species is assessed, and an estimate made of crown cover of woody perennials. In shrubland areas, a direct census technique is used, with the demography and maximum canopy dimensions of all shrubs recorded. Changes in soil surface condition and patch distribution are also assessed using standard Landscape Function Analysis (LFA) techniques. The vegetation and soil surface information is used to indicate rangeland change. The system is not fixed within any single model of range dynamics and the outputs of WARMS can be interpreted in various ways, depending on the specific requirements of the end-user. The paper includes discussion of the institutional requirements for WARMS, the site stratification and selection criteria, description of the field methods used and the rationale behind its design. It also considers the implications of the site stratification and selection criteria in terms of the caveats that need to accompany reporting.

The Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS) - operating a regional scale monitoring system

2008 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 271 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. E. Novelly ◽  
I. W. Watson ◽  
P. W. E. Thomas ◽  
N. J. Duckett
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring System ◽  
Data Storage ◽  
State Government ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Surface Condition ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Ancillary Data ◽  
Rangeland Monitoring ◽  
Individual Site ◽  
Western Australian

The Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS), a state government monitoring activity, provides information on change in Western Australia’s pastoral rangelands. It consists of a set of permanent sites, on which measurements of perennial vegetation (direct census in shrublands and perennial grass frequency and woody cover in grasslands) and assessments of soil surface condition are recorded at either 3-year (grasslands) or 5-year (shrublands) intervals. Data collection is non-destructive. Site distribution is based on vegetation type, and WARMS reports at the vegetation type or regional level, not individual site or property level. Operating WARMS requires a range of defined conventions to ensure that personnel changes and the interval between samplings at any one site do not lead to confounding of results through variation in how data are collected. The number of sites (1622) and program timeframe (decadal) mean that data storage and management issues are critical. Data interpretation, including the interpretive framework and use of ancillary data to assist in interpreting causality, and provision of information products relevant to a range of users are also important operational aspects. A companion paper addresses the institutional requirements for WARMS, system design and the rationale behind this design.

The first assessment, using a rangeland monitoring system, of change in shrub and tree populations across the arid shrublands of Western Australia

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. W. Watson ◽  
P. W. E. Thomas ◽  
W. J. Fletcher
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring System ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Rangeland Monitoring ◽  
Canopy Area ◽  
Arid Shrublands ◽  
Acacia Aneura ◽  
First Time ◽  
Western Australian

For the first time, a region-wide assessment of vegetation change across the southern shrublands of Western Australia is reported, using information from 965 shrubland sites of the Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS). The majority of sites were installed between December 1993 and November 1999, and were reassessed between July 1999 and November 2005, with an average interval of just over 5 years. Shrub and tree species density, canopy area and species richness remained the same or increased on the majority of sites. The results were similar when considered at a species level, with most species showing an increase in density, canopy area and the number of sites on which they were found. Recruitment of new individuals to the population was commonplace on virtually all sites and for virtually all species. High rates of recruitment, on many sites, were observed for long-lived species such as Acacia aneura Benth., A. papyrocarpa Benth., Eremophila forrestii F.Muell. and Maireana sedifolia (F.Muell.) Paul G.Wilson. Increases in density, i.e. where recruitment was higher than mortality, were observed for many shorter lived species which are known to decrease in response to excessive grazing (i.e. decreaser species) such as Ptilotus obovatus (Gaudich.) F.Muell., Atriplex vesicaria Benth., A. bunburyana F.Muell. and Maireana georgei (Diels) Paul G.Wilson. However, this result should be tempered by the understanding that acute degradation processes may still be occurring, especially within and surrounding drainage lines, which are away from where the WARMS sites are typically located. Grazing was implicated in decreased density on some sites, particularly those which had experienced below average seasonal conditions. On these sites, decreaser species were particularly affected.

The development of a system for monitoring trend in range condition in the arid shrublands of Western Australia.

1987 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
AM Holm ◽  
DG Burnside ◽  
AA Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring System ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Stable State ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Monitoring Site ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Rangeland Monitoring ◽  
Edible Species ◽  
Palatable Species ◽  
Western Australian

The role of a monitoring system for Western Australian pastoral shrublands is examined. The authors argue that the objective of management is to maximise sustained animal productivity, and that this can only be attained if the soil is maintained in a stable state. In non-degraded rangelands this objective is synonomous with the maintenance of a pasture community with its natural balance of edible and less edible species. In degraded rangelands the objective of regaining the pristine vegetation may, in many cases, be unattainable. Nevertheless, the objective of maximum sustained productivity again appears suitable since this would ensure that, where management is able to influence the direction of change, it is towards a pasture dominated by useful, rather than non-palatable, species. Our monitoring system aims to assist management achieve these objectives. The Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS) has been designed to include the assessment of ecological processes but with a strong bias towards characteristics that can be interpreted in production terms. We expect that the system will primarily and most importantly, aid pastoralists in their season by season decisions on stock movements. It will also provide a tool for the land administrator, who must be able to assure the wider community that the land is being used wisely. Finally, it should assist range scientists towards a better understanding of rangeland ecosystems. The WARMS system involves a series of grazed range monitoring sites, lightly grazed reference areas and ungrazed control areas. At each monitoring site a photograph is taken and plants within a fixed area are identified and marked on an overlay. The number and size of perennial shrubs are recorded within fixed belt transects and the contribution from perennial grasses and biennial species is assessed. Soil stability is also assessed using a rating scale and a modified step point procedure.

A comparison of stocking methods for beef production in northern Australia: pasture and soil surface condition responses

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor J. Hall ◽  
John G. McIvor ◽  
David J. Reid ◽  
Paul Jones ◽  
Neil D. MacLeod ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Function Analysis ◽  
Surface Condition ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Litter Cover ◽  
Rotation Methods ◽  
Formally Trained ◽  
Growing Conditions ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Grazing Capacity

Historical stocking methods of continuous, season-long grazing of pastures with little account of growing conditions have caused some degradation within grazed landscapes in northern Australia. Alternative stocking methods have been implemented to address this degradation and raise the productivity and profitability of the principal livestock, cattle. Because information comparing stocking methods is limited, an evaluation was undertaken to quantify the effects of stocking methods on pastures, soils and grazing capacity. The approach was to monitor existing stocking methods on nine commercial beef properties in north and south Queensland. Environments included native and exotic pastures and eucalypt (lighter soil) and brigalow (heavier soil) land types. Breeding and growing cattle were grazed under each method. The owners/managers, formally trained in pasture and grazing management, made all management decisions affecting the study sites. Three stocking methods were compared: continuous (with rest), extensive rotation and intensive rotation (commonly referred to as ‘cell grazing’). There were two or three stocking methods examined on each property: in total 21 methods (seven continuous, six extensive rotations and eight intensive rotations) were monitored over 74 paddocks, between 2006 and 2009. Pasture and soil surface measurements were made in the autumns of 2006, 2007 and 2009, while the paddock grazing was analysed from property records for the period from 2006 to 2009. The first 2 years had drought conditions (rainfall average 3.4 decile) but were followed by 2 years of above-average rainfall. There were no consistent differences between stocking methods across all sites over the 4 years for herbage mass, plant species composition, total and litter cover, or landscape function analysis (LFA) indices. There were large responses to rainfall in the last 2 years with mean herbage mass in the autumn increasing from 1970 kg DM ha–1 in 2006–07 to 3830 kg DM ha–1 in 2009. Over the same period, ground and litter cover and LFA indices increased. Across all sites and 4 years, mean grazing capacity was similar for the three stocking methods. There were, however, significant differences in grazing capacity between stocking methods at four sites but these differences were not consistent between stocking methods or sites. Both the continuous and intensive rotation methods supported the highest average annual grazing capacity at different sites. The results suggest that cattle producers can obtain similar ecological responses and carry similar numbers of livestock under any of the three stocking methods.

Alpine and Subalpine Wetland Vegetation on the Bogong High Plains, South-eastern Australia

1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 165 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.-H. Wahren ◽  
R. J. Williams ◽  
W. A. Papst
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Wetland Vegetation ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Drainage Channels ◽  
Floristic Variation ◽  
Steep Slopes

The botanical composition and structure of wetland vegetation from seven sites in the alpine and subalpine tracts of the Bogong High Plains was sampled in 1995 and 1996. Sites were in the vicinity of Mts Nelse, Cope and Fainter. Sampling was based on contiguous 1-m2 quadrats along transects 20−70 m long across each wetland. Samples were ordinated using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Floristic variation was assessed both within selected individual wetlands, and between wetlands from different regions. The relationship between the ordinations and environmental variables such as soil surface texture, soil depth and the amount of bare ground was tested by fitting vectors. Three dominant vegetation assemblages were identified. Closed heath, of hygrophyllous, scleromorphic shrubs such as Richea continentis and Baeckea gunniana, the rush Empodisma minus and the moss Sphagnum cristatum occurred on the deeper peats. Low open heath of Epacris glacialis and Danthonia nivicola occurred on shallow peats. Herbfields of Caltha introloba and Oreobolus pumilio occurred on stony pavements in two different physiographic situations&horbar;on relatively steep slopes (10−20°) at the head of wetlands, and on flat ground (slope < 2°), below the head of wetlands. The pavements on the steeper sites appeared to be associated with periglacial features such as solifluction lobes and terraces. Those on the flatter ground appeared to have been derived more recently. Wetlands in the Mt Cope region consisted of closed heath, low open heath and pavement herbfield in various proportions. Wetlands on Mt Fainter, which are subject to heavy trampling by cattle, were in a degraded condition, with a low cover of major hygrophyllous mosses and shrubs, and a high cover of introduced species. Long-ungrazed wetlands in a 50-year exclosure at Rocky Valley had high cover of closed heath, no pavements, numerous ponds and virtually no entrenched drainage channels or exposed peat. The Caltha herbfields are significant features nationally, both floristically and geomorphologically. Alpine and subalpine wetlands have been listed under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, and continued grazing by cattle is not compatible with the conservation objectives for this alpine vegetation type.

scholarly journals The MARAS dataset, vegetation and soil characteristics of dryland rangelands across Patagonia

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Oliva ◽  
Eder dos Santos ◽  
Osiris Sofía ◽  
Fernando Umaña ◽  
Virginia Massara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Analysis ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Surface Characteristics ◽  
Spatial Pattern Analysis ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Species List ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Rangeland Monitoring ◽  
Ecosystem Structure And Functioning ◽  
Line Intercept

Abstract We present the MARAS (Environmental Monitoring of Arid and Semiarid Regions) dataset, which stores vegetation and soil data of 426 rangeland monitoring plots installed throughout Patagonia, a 624.500 km2 area of southern Argentina and Chile. Data for each monitoring plot includes basic climatic and landscape features, photographs, 500 point intercepts for vegetation cover, plant species list and biodiversity indexes, 50-m line-intercept transect for vegetation spatial pattern analysis, land function indexes drawn from 11 measures of soil surface characteristics and laboratory soil analysis (pH, conductivity, organic matter, N and texture). Monitoring plots were installed between 2007 and 2019, and are being reassessed at 5-year intervals (247 have been surveyed twice). The MARAS dataset provides a baseline from which to evaluate the impacts of climate change and changes in land use intensity in Patagonian ecosystems, which collectively constitute one of the world´s largest rangeland areas. This dataset will be of interest to scientists exploring key ecological questions such as biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships, plant-soil interactions and climatic controls on ecosystem structure and functioning.

scholarly journals Grassland fire effect on soil organic carbon reservoirs in a semiarid environment

Solid Earth ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Novara ◽  
L. Gristina ◽  
J. Rühl ◽  
S. Pasta ◽  
G. D'Angelo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
Semiarid Environment ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Grassland Fire

Abstract. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of an experimental fire used for grassland management on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. The study was carried out on Hyparrhenia hirta (L.) Stapf (Hh) grassland and Ampelodesmos mauritanicus (Desf.) T. Durand &amp; Schinz (Am) grasslands located in the north of Sicily. Soil samples were collected at 0–5 cm before and after the experimental fire, and SOC was measured. During the grassland fire, soil surface temperature was monitored. Biomass of both grasses was analysed in order to determine dry weight and its chemical composition. The results showed that SOC varied significantly with vegetation type, while it is not affected in the short term by grassland fire. Am grassland stored more SOC compared with Hh grassland thanks to lower content in the biomass of the labile carbon pool. No significant difference was observed in SOC before and after fire, which could be caused by several factors: first, in both grassland types the measured soil temperature during fire was low due to thin litter layers; second, in a semiarid environment, a higher mineralization rate results in a lower soil carbon labile pool; and third, the SOC stored in the finest soil fractions, physically protected, is not affected by fire.

RoadMonitor: An Intelligent Road Surface Condition Monitoring System

2015 ◽  
pp. 377-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adham Mohamed ◽  
Mohamed Mostafa M. Fouad ◽  
Esraa Elhariri ◽  
Nashwa El-Bendary ◽  
Hossam M. Zawbaa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring System ◽  
Condition Monitoring ◽  
Surface Condition ◽  
Road Surface ◽  
Condition Monitoring System
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