Coded T-mark continuums: a graphical method for reporting rangeland monitoring data
Gary N. Bastin A D , John A. Ludwig B and Kate Richardson CA ACRIS Management Unit, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems and Desert Knowledge CRC, PO Box 2111, Alice Springs, NT 0871, Australia.
B CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Box 780, Atherton, Qld 4883, Australia.
C Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport, PO Box 496, Palmerston, NT 0831, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: gary.bastin@csiro.au
The Rangeland Journal 32(2) 145-153 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ09064
Submitted: 15 September 2009 Accepted: 22 December 2009 Published: 30 June 2010
Abstract
In this paper we describe a new method of graphically presenting rangeland monitoring data as coded time-mark continuums. This method aims to provide people with an interest in rangelands (stakeholders) with succinct information, which they need to assess rangeland condition and change. This new method graphs data for indicators of rangeland condition as time or T-marks along gradients or continuums. The ends of these continuums are reference points, which are values for indicators defining highly functional to very dysfunctional rangeland systems. The T-marks for an indicator along its continuum are also coded as to how changes relate to combinations of recent seasonal conditions and longer-term management effects. Codes are based on a two-way matrix combining ‘seasonal quality’ (e.g. rainfall in a specified period relative to the long-term record) and expected responses from land management (i.e. increase, decrease or no change relative to that predicted from seasonal quality). Monitoring data available in the Australian Collaborative Rangeland Information System were used to illustrate the use of coded T-mark continuums. We show succinctly how one indicator changed in two different rangeland regions and how multiple indicators changed within one region.
Additional keywords: benchmarks, landscape function, rangeland condition, reference points.
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge our colleagues in Australia who contributed their views on ways to effectively analyse and present findings from rangeland monitoring. We also acknowledge the use in this paper of monitoring data compiled in the Australian Collaborative Rangeland Information System: in particular, fire mapping data provided by Western Australia’s Landgate, livestock numbers provided by the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management and originally sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and monitoring data collected by NT Pastoral Officers. Funding to support operation of ACRIS is provided by the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country program. We particularly thank Robyn Cowley for calculating livestock carrying capacity shown in Fig. 5 and Keith Saalfeld for supplying the 2006 donkey density data. Comments by Margaret Friedel and two anonymous reviewers considerably improved this paper.
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