Rangeland degradation and recovery
Pasture Degradation and Recovery in Australia’s
Rangelands: Learning from History details eight historical
episodes of degradation in Australia’s rangelands and aims to
provide reference material for grazing land management and its
environmental consequences. The eight episodes represent a failure
to manage for the extreme climate variability of Australia’s
rangelands. The report then analyses these episodes in terms of the
impact from a grazing-use perspective.
Queensland Dept. Natural Resources and Water, ISBN: 1 920920 55
2
PrimeNotes
A reminder that the 2006 version of PrimeNotes is available from
the Queensland Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries.
They can be used for a wide variety of Australian conditions and
situations, and focuses on targeted, quality-assured information
and advice to help rural business, natural resource management and
rural communities.
Online: www.publications.qld.gov.au
Tel: 1800 816 541 (local call)
Determining waterpoints
Originally developed for Kimberley and Pilbara stations, the
Pastoral Waterpoint Workbook by Troy Sinclair and Francis
Bright, is a reference and decision-support tool to assist in
making decisions about watering cattle. It discusses the costs of
providing stockwater and investing in new waterpoints as well as
considerations when planning new points. Producers in other
tropical regions may find the workbook useful for better
understanding the cost of supplying waterpoints.
Cost: $20, Dept Agriculture WA (Kununurra) Tel: (08) 9166
4000
Mammal extinction debate
Australia’s Mammal Extinctions—A 50,000-Year
History , chronicles Australia’s mammal
extinctions—more than 65 mammal species vanishing in the last
50,000 years. Chris Johnson, Professor in Tropical Ecology and
Conservation at James Cook University, provides a
detective-like tour of the mammal extinction record, uncovering
how, why and when they occurred.
Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0521686601 AUD$49.95 316
pp.
www.cambridge.org/aus/catalogue/promotion.asp?nav=view&code=EISep06
Plant harvest opportunities
The report, Small-scale Commercial Plant Harvests by
Indigenous Communities, details work with Indigenous
communities in the Northern Territory to explore the feasibility of
small-scale enterprises based on harvesting plant material in
remote Aboriginal communities. Authors Julian Gorman (CDU) and
Peter Whitehead (TS–CRC) identify potential plant products
using botanical advice in consultation with Indigenous communities.
Case studies look at bushfoods, sale of customary foods, live plant
trade, arts and craft, and novelties and educational items.
Go to: www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/AFT/04-148.pdf
Purnululu publication
A free 12-page publication promoting the World Heritage-listed
Purnululu National Park in the Kimberley includes a guide to the
walk trails, gorges and visitor facilities throughout the park.
Available from DEC offices and visitor centres throughout the
Kimberley.
