Identifying Production-Environment Tradeoffs Associated with Grazing Land Management

1. Identifying Production-Environment Tradeoffs Associated with Grazing Land Management N.D. MacLeod & J.G. McIvor CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, St Lucia Q 4067

2. Road map • Talk (& manuscript) covers the following: • Introduction/background. • Principles and thresholds for landscape design. • Application of the ecological principles. • Exploring production-environmental tradeoffs. • Applying the framework – a case study from the subtropical woodlands. • Description of the case study property • Example 1 – Tree clearing • Example 2 - Tree planting • Concluding remarks – some issues. Trade-offs Workshop, Rockhampton 28 October 2005

3. Introduction • Key features of contemporary grazing land management: • Intensification of management practices. • Simplification of landscape ecological structure. • Intensification has obvious economic benefits. • Simplification commonly has an ecological downside. • Landscape resources typically resistant & resilient. • Ecological processes have `thresholds’ & limits. • Pushed too hard landscapes ‘leak’ resources. • Trade-offs are implied. • Assessment framework briefly discussed • Application demonstrated with case studies (tree clearing & planting) Trade-offs Workshop, Rockhampton 28 October 2005

4. Management intensification • Rational (& necessary) response to chronic cost-price squeeze: • Raise productivity (per animal, hectare etc). • Cut labour & other costs etc. • Exploit economies of scale. • Examples: • Tree clearing & thinning • Pasture sowing & augmentation • Advanced breeding & nutrition • Grazing systems (esp. high intensity, short duration) • Infrastructure – waters, subdivision etc • Mandatory for viable pastoralism & process will not abate Trade-offs Workshop, Rockhampton 28 October 2005

5. Landscape dysfunction • Well recognised (documented) & include: • Declining productivity of native & sown pastures • Reduced drought tolerance of pastures • Soil structure decline & increased erosion • Salination of land & water • Tree decline at landscape scales • Acidification of soils • Loss of important plant & animal species (locally & regionally) • Eutrophication of watercourses & lakes • Encroachment &/or invasions of native & exotic weeds • Loss of future land use options (e.g. eco-tourism, timber, bush foods) Key to sustainable land management is to stay within ecological limits Trade-offs Workshop, Rockhampton 28 October 2005

6. Principles & thresholds • CSIRO grazing land management research mid 1990s: • Integration of landscape ecology & conservation biology. • Landscape cf. paddock focus. • Developed integrated set of landscape design principles. • Trees, pastures, soils, riparian lands, wildlife habitat etc. • Included elements of both resource & nature conservation. • Identified thresholds (empirical, judgement, precaution). • Tested with whole of enterprise case studies & modelling • Full application of the principles uneconomic for private landholders. • Partial application (trade-offs) warranted exploration. • Full application probably socially warranted (some empirical support). Trade-offs Workshop, Rockhampton 28 October 2005

7. Existing management activity Ecological health assessment Economic assessment • Trade-off assessment Yes Maintain existing management activity Acceptable? No Technical & management review Revised management activity #1 Ecological health assessment Economic assessment Trade-off assessment Yes Adopt revised management activity Acceptable? No Revised management activity #N Review iterations (N) cease when an acceptable compromise is reached or no feasible improvement is acknowledged Assessment framework Trade-offs Workshop, Rockhampton 28 October 2005

8. Economic assessment Trade-offs Workshop, Rockhampton 28 October 2005

9. Ecological Assessment Ranked -3 to 3 and aggregated to single `ecological condition’ score Trade-offs Workshop, Rockhampton 28 October 2005

10. Inland Burnett Region 7000ha total 3 Land classes (SLIB, NLIB, BG) Tree clearing 3900ha Sown pasture 800ha 1530 adult equivalents SR (SLIB) 8ha/AE LWG (SLIB) 140kg/hd/yr WIWO $1.3 million Case study – Tropical woodlands beef property • Two management options: • Tree clearing 1000ha (SLIB) • Tree planting 100ha (SLIB) Trade-offs Workshop, Rockhampton 28 October 2005

11. Result #1 – Tree clearing (1000ha) Trade-offs Workshop, Rockhampton 28 October 2005

12. Result #2 – Tree planting (100ha) Trade-offs Workshop, Rockhampton 28 October 2005

13. Concluding remarks - issues • Tradeoffs are inevitable – few `win-wins’ in real world (esp. private): • Assessment framework places options in consistent & transparent context. • Present framework quite rudimentary. • Being tested for usefulness (Charters Towers Qld, Victoria River NT) • Some issues: • Scale – spatial & temporal → Uncertainties • Multiple uses & multiple users • Starting point & differential outcomes • Different value metrics • Thresholds & bottom lines Trade-offs Workshop, Rockhampton 28 October 2005

14. Thank you Contact CSIRO Phone 07-32142270 +61 7-32142270 Email neil.macleod@csiro.au Web www.csiro.au