Estimating the Impacts of Pastoral Activities Upon Wind Erosion in the Arid and Semi-arid Rangelands of Eastern Australia

Abstract

Wind erosion is widespread across the world’s drylands and includes the arid and semi-arid rangelands of Australia. An estimated 110 Mt of dust is eroded by wind from the Australian land surface each year, most of which originates from the arid and semi-arid rangelands. Livestock production is known to increase the susceptibility of the rangelands to wind erosion, and produce accelerated erosion, by reducing vegetation cover and modifying surface soil stability. Extended episodes of wind erosion have been reportedly caused by overgrazing notably in Australia in the 1940’s and 1960s. However, research is yet to fully understand and quantify the impacts of pastoral activities on the wind erosion of the rangelands. Better understanding of the impact of pastoral managements (e.g. stocking rates, land conditions) on wind erosion and information on how these impacts change through time and space are required. This should offer the possibility to better understand and estimate the impact of pastoral activities on wind erosion and provide information to land managers in order to reduce grazing impacts on wind erosion.