Rangelands Overview - Australia
Where are the Rangelands in Australia?
More than 75% of Australia is broadly defined as rangelands. This includes a diverse group of relatively undisturbed ecosystems such as tropical savannas, woodlands, shrublands and grasslands. Rangelands extend across low rainfall and variable climates, including arid, semi-arid, and some seasonally high rainfall areas. Extensive grazing on native pastures occurs across the rangelands while broadscale cropping and cultivation generally do not take place.
Rangelands are important in terms of:
- Biodiversity - the rangelands represent the largest group of the nation's ecosystems remaining in a relatively natural condition.
- Income - much of Australia's mineral wealth is derived from the rangelands. Cattle, sheep and wool production and tourism also generate income.
- Social and cultural heritage - the rangeland landscape is an intrinsic element of the social heritage of its towns and communities.
- Sub-artesian water sources and major river systems - the rangelands are spread over large artesian and sub-artesian water sources and major river systems.
- Clean and green food and fibre production - mainly chemical-free production and the harvest of wild animal and plant products.
- Carbon storage - contribute to meeting Australia's international obligations for climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.
Click on the bioregion name on the map to go to more detail on that bioregion.
From an ecological perspective, 53 of Australia's 85 bioregions have rangelands, covering a huge diversity of habitats and communities. The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia (ver 5.1) is used as the common unit to compare biological and biophysical attributes. Bioregions represent a landscape based approach to classifying the land surface and each region is defined by a set of major environmental influences which shape the occurrence of flora and fauna and their interaction with the physical environment. Such attributes are; climate, lithology/geology, landform, vegetation, flora and fauna, and landuse.
An increase in photosynthetic activity or greenness after rainfall is used as an indicator of season quality. Change in greenness is estimated using the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). This map shows the average greenness for the rangelands for the period 1992-1999.
A Bioregion can occur in more than one State. Click on the bioregion name in the table to go to more detail on that bioregion; or on the State/Territory name to go to more information at the State level.
Further Information
- Rangelands-Tracking Changes final report
- Rangelands-Tracking Changes summary report
- Rangelands Projects and Documents page
- photographic sequences
- CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
- CSIRO Plant Industry
Link to Map maker to make a map using this information.
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