Transitions across thresholds of vegetation states in the grazed rangelands of Western Australia
I. W. Watson A C and P. E. Novelly B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, PMB Aitkenvale, Qld 4814, Australia.
B Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, South Perth, WA 6151, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: ian.watson@csiro.au
The Rangeland Journal 34(3) 231-238 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ11073
Submitted: 26 October 2011 Accepted: 11 June 2012 Published: 6 August 2012
Abstract
Thresholds and transitions between vegetation states are accepted components of models of rangeland dynamics. By definition, transitions represent changes from one state to another that are enduring, and are unlikely to be reversed within an acceptable management time frame or without significant inputs of management. A monitoring dataset, containing 306 grassland sites and 919 shrubland sites, was used to identify transitions that have occurred in the pastoral rangelands of Western Australia between 1993 and 2010. The grassland sites were assessed on five occasions and the shrubland sites on three occasions. Transition between vegetation states was assessed using the expert knowledge of the authors. A total of 11% of the grassland sites and 1% of the shrubland sites were determined to have undergone a transition, negative as well as positive from a pastoral perspective, over the sampling period. It is argued that, once a transition has occurred, both pastoral managers and government regulators need to adjust to the new conditions, altering management to best address the new state and altering regulatory expectations so that range condition is assessed within the context of the current state and its further capacity to change.
Additional keywords: alternative states, range monitoring, state and transition, vegetation dynamics.
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