最佳实践的简短描述

Groundcover management: Soil erosion is being addressed by working to increase native perennial ground cover to 60%, where the typical cover is approximately 20%. The growth of woody species is being managed in this project to allow growth of perennial grasses and forbs.
Managing total grazing pressure: On semi-arid rangelands, livestock as well as feral (e.g. goats) or native grazers (e.g. kangaroos) are dependent on artificial watering points for drinking. Control of access to watering points using fencing allows paddocks and vegetation to be periodically rested from grazing pressure to allow vegetation, including native vegetation, to regenerate. Total grazing pressure can also be reduced through use of trap yards to capture feral goats for removal.
Capacity building: Landholders are assisted to adopt improved grazing management practices including through grazing management courses and membership of the local Landcare Group (for support and technical information). |

地点

A 21,000ha grazing property near Cobar in western New South Wales (NSW),Australia, in the Western Natural Resource Management (NRM) region which is the largest catchment in NSW (approx 230,000sqkm) & encompasses a series of river systems & the most diverse rangelands in NSW. |

如果该位置有明确的边界，请以公顷为单位说明其延伸范围。:

21000.0

居住在该地区的估计人口:

4.0

指定地点内的自然环境简介。

Semi-arid climate with highly variable rainfall with no seasonal dominance. Particularly dry for the last ten years. Mean rainfall of 336mm per year
Typical Cobar Peneplain (extensive area of plateau or low land with undulating surface) type country, with hard red ridges and associated drainage flats. Hard red ridges have hard red clay loam soils with a hard surface. Drainage flats consist of hard red loam to clay loam soils to depth. |
See response to Soil (above). Undulating country with low slopes of 2-3% and subdued crests.  Groundcover is generally spare on the hard red ridges, increasng on the dranage flats due to extra run-off received.|

居住在该地点及/或附近居民的普遍社会经济状况

The Catchment is predominantly leasehold land, administered under the Western Lands Act 1901 by the New South Wales state government. Leases under the Act include provisions relating to matters such as land use and stocking rates. There are more than 630 pastoral and agricultural holdings.|
Low wool prices through the 1990s led to some loss of social infrastructure. Fewer young people are returning to properties. Off-farm incomes lower than non-rangeland areas. Values of pastoral properties decreased between 1996 and 2002, with some recovery since. Relatively small properties have been rendered non-viable by woody thickening.|

根据哪些标准和/或指标（与战略无关），在确定建议的实践和相应的技术是否被认为是“最佳”时，应该基于哪些标准和/或指标（与战略无关）？

Managing total grazing pressure: principles for land management practices outlined within the Australian Government’s Management of total grazing pressure - Managing for biodiversity in the rangelands, 2005.
Feral goat control: principles outlined within the Australian Government’s Threat Abatement Plan for Feral Goats, 2008.

最佳实践解决的主要问题

Best practice management of total grazing pressure addresses problems caused by low ground cover and feral goats including: land degradation through wind/water erosion causing soil loss and reduced soil condition; loss of vegetation diversity and condition; and impacts on native fauna habitat and food resources through competition by feral goats.

概述最佳实践解决的具体土地退化问题

Land degradation can be caused by uncontrolled grazing (including pressure from feral goats) which causes vegetation stress and reduced resilience in dry periods leading to a lack of ground cover. This can then result in soil loss through wind and water erosion, leading to a loss of soil condition, including reduced permeability and carbon content which further contributes to low groundcover. Feral goats browse extensively which can cause tree/shrub death and/or limit species recruitment. This degrades vegetation diversity/condition and can cause loss of habitat and food resources for native fauna through competition by feral goats.|

具体说明最佳实践的目标

To achieve sustainable grazing levels to maintain groundcover above target levels to help prevent soil erosion, land degradation and desertification, increase landscape resilience to climate variability and climate change, and maintain biodiversity.|

按目标对主要活动进行简要的描述

Maintaining biodiversity – activities include feral goat control to reduce grazing pressure impacts on vegetation diversity/condition and reduce loss of habitat and food resources for native fauna cause by competition by feral goats.
To achieve sustainable grazing levels to maintain groundcover above target levels to help prevent soil erosion, land degradation and desertification, increase landscape resilience to climate variability and climate change, and maintain biodiversity.
Sustainable grazing levels to maintain groundcover above target levels – activities include fencing areas of land to manage the grazing pressure of livestock and native and feral animals by resting vegetation periodically.|
Sustainable grazing levels to maintain groundcover above target levels – activities include trapping watering points to control the additional grazing pressure from feral goats by removing them from the property.

本技术的简要说明和技术规范

Fencing – physical barriers are provided by mesh-type and electric fencing to allow stock movement between paddocks to distribute grazing pressure.
Trapping watering points – involves one-way gates which allow animals (including feral goats) to enter but not leave the small paddock that surrounds the watering point. Once the animals are enclosed, the feral goats can be separated from livestock and removed from the property to reduce total grazing pressure.
Grazing management (feral goat control) - Regardless of season, landholders (including park managers) cannot effectively manage groundcover or vegetation condition unless total grazing pressure from feral goats, kangaroos and rabbits is controlled. As described in Australia’s 2002 National Report to the UNCCD, over-grazing by introduced and native herbivores (total grazing pressure) is a cause of land degradation in Australia’s rangelands.
The best practice management of ground cover through activities such as fencing, trapping watering points, and grazing management (feral goat control) is monitored. This includes:
• A program of annual photo points used at several sites over the past five years, to show changes (improvements) in groundcover over time with improved grazing management.
• Step point monitoring along transects to assess ground cover (level and competition) and record observations such as the existence of bare ground, leaf litter, grasses and shrubs.

这项技术是合作开发的吗?

是

列出合作伙伴:

A number of private businesses are involved in supplying fencing and trap gates. Erecting of fencing and trap yards was conducted either by the landholders or contractors.

具体说明该技术推广的框架

具体说明:

This technology is promoted within the Western natural resource management region, and other natural resource management regions in the semi-arid zones (rangelands) throughout Australia.

当地利益相关者（包括CSO）的参与是否促进了技术的开发？

是

列出涉及的当地利益相关者:

Stakeholders (landholders) were engaged via educational field days, grazing training courses, the Catchment Management Authority website, demonstrations, and fact sheets. Additionally, word of mouth amongst landholders played a significant role in disseminating information.|The public benefits achieved includes improved biodiversity and increased soil carbon over large areas of land, and sustainable pastoral enterprises.

对于上面列出的利益相关者，说明他们在该技术的设计、引入、使用和维护（如果有的话）中的角色。

The Western Catchment Management Authority managed the project and engaged the community and landholders by offering support, including information and training for landholders to adopt improved grazing management practices. The landholder role is to integrate the best management practices into their farming system and maintain the practices over time.|

居住在该地区和/或附近的居民是否参与了该技术的开发？

是

通过什么手段？:

• 参与途径

具体说明:

The grazing management systems are adapted to local conditions and farming systems and often designed by local landholders to obtain the best outcome and greatest efficiency to improve environmental outcomes.

描述现场影响（按类别划分的两类主要影响）

Improved vegetation condition, biodiversity, soil condition and increased resilience of the ecosystem and landscape to impacts of climate change.|
This leads to positive economic impacts on rural communities and their social wellbeing.
Improved ground cover, reduced wind erosion of soil, and improved total grazing pressure management results in a longer term financial viability of productive land and ability to use the land for productive purposes.|
Farmers have a greater sense of purpose and control of their land and feel encouraged that improving ground cover management results in improved biodiversity with longlasting benefits, including to the production system.|

描述两个主要的场外影响（即不是发生在现场，而是发生在周围区域）

Positive off-site impacts include reduced generation of dust and sediment; increased capacity for carbon sequestration; increased biodiversity; providing corridors for species movement.

对生物多样性和气候变化的影响

解释原因:

Competition and land degradation by feral goats are listed as a key threatening process under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Of the threatened species listed under the EPBC Act, feral goats are considered a threat to 8 bird species, 3 mammal species, 1 insect and 44 plant species.  This is a widespread issue throughout Australian rangelands and by controlling feral goats, the biodiversity impacts and land degradation problems caused by them can be addressed. Farmers’ adoption of sustainable grazing management strategies increases groundcover, including native species. For example, in some Western Catchment Management Authority projects, total vegetation cover (annuals and perennials) is approximately 78% in areas using best practice, compared to areas not using best practice where vegetation cover is approximately 21%.|
Adoption of sustainable grazing management practices has the potential to increase ecosystem and production system resilience to the impacts of climate change, allowing for adaptation. Improved ground cover improves soil condition through increasing soil carbon which can improve soil water holding capacity and nutrient availability. Healthy soil provides a number of services to build ecosystem resilience, including food and habitat for biodiversity, erosion control, improved buffering capacity as well as sequestering carbon dioxide.|
Improving ground cover in grazing systems can increase the carbon content of soil. Healthy soil provides a number of services including carbon dioxide sequestration potential.

该技术是否传播/引进到其他地方？

该技术是否传播/引进到其他地方？:

是

传播/引进到哪里？:

Stakeholders in the Western natural resource management region were engaged via educational field days, grazing training courses, the Catchment Management Authority website, demonstrations and fact sheets. Additionally, word of mouth amongst landholders played a significant role in disseminating information.|The practice can be replicated at property scales, and when properties using the best practice adjoin, the scale can be regional. Also, strategically targeting “feral goat hotspots” can achieve better results for less expenditure. For example, controlling feral goats at their preferred breeding grounds will achieve broader results and/or controlling feral goats around targeted land degradation areas can achieve broader results for biodiversity.

是否提供了促进采用该技术的奖励措施？

是否提供了促进采用该技术的奖励措施？:

是

具体说明激励的类型:

• 政策或监管激励（例如，与市场需求和法规、进出口、国外投资、研发支持等相关）
• 财务激励（例如优惠利率、国家援助、补贴、现金补助、贷款担保等）

您能否确定目前最佳实践/技术成功的三个主要条件？

The best practice is practical, demonstrable, easily adopted and fits into landholders’ current farming systems. It produces dual outcomes of biodiversity enhancement and productivity benefits. Landholder contribution (at least 50% of project costs) is a criterion for receiving financial incentives. Landholders are provided with training/information to assist adoption.|

可复制性

在您看来，您所提出的最佳实践/技术可以复制到其他地方，尽管有一定程度的适应？:

是

适应程度如何？:

• 地方
• 次国家

与技术方面有关

The monitoring requirements for this case-study project allow lessons to be learnt along the life of the project. This includes increasing understanding of the outcomes that can be achieved. |Monitoring is through:
1 Use of photopoints, established before any works are commenced, and then repeated annually for a period of 10 years after the project is completed to record changes to groundcover;
2 A count of the number of goats removed per year;
3 Self-evaluation reports by the landholder ononce the project establishment is completed, and five years after the project contract is signed.