Australia is dominated by 6 million km² of rangelands that contribute significantly to the livestock industry and carbon market; yet, few studies have quantified the influence of grazing management on woody biomass and carbon stocks across these rangelands. Although grazing exclusion can sometimes facilitate carbon stock accumulation, it is difficult to predict when and where this would occur.

Carbon farming projects in the Australian rangelands routinely use remotely piloted aircraft (drones) to validate vegetation maps. This data collection can be leveraged to provide detailed ecological insights into rangeland ecosystems. Combining drone-derived structural information with ground-based botanical surveys, this paper showcases a method for comprehensive vegetation condition assessment at the property scale. This approach has potential to enhance understanding of ecosystem responses to land management changes across large areas of rangelands.

This article belongs to the collection: Carbon and environmental service markets.