Improving land condition across Southern Gulf rangelands to build resilience to variable and extreme climate

Queensland Government Department of Resources
Role

Principal Investigator

Description

Grant: https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/environment/natural-resource-funding/apply#key-dates Project description: Recent extreme climatic events (e.g., the 2019 flood and preceding drought, and the 2023 flood) have had a devasting impact on the Southern Gulf’s grazing industry and local communities, as well as the health and functioning of the region’s sensitive natural assets, including soils, pastures, water, and biodiversity. The occurrence and severity of such extreme climatic events are predicted to increase into the future. The overarching aim of the project is to build resilience in Southern Gulf rangeland production systems to better manage climate variability and extreme climatic events, through improving land condition. Land that is maintained in good condition is less susceptible to severe impacts associated with extreme climatic events and recovers more quickly after events occur. To achieve improved land condition across the region, the project will work directly with X land managers to implement on-ground land management practice changes and/or remediation treatments, spanning an estimated area of X. The effectiveness of these interventions will be rigorously monitoring and evaluated, and the data made publicly available. Key learnings and outcomes will be passed on to the other landholders, NRM groups, Government extension staff and researchers through demonstration sites, field days, communications materials, scientific publications, and capacity building events. Overall, the project will provide much needed new knowledge, information, data, tools, and capacity to better manage and respond to climate variability and extreme climatic events across the Southern Gulf region, and other parts of northern Australia.

Date

01 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2028

Project Type

N/A

Keywords

Flood;Drought;Land Condition;Rangeland;Landscape Rehabilitation

Funding Body

Queensland Government Department of Resources

Amount

1200000

Project Team

Jai McKay;Paul Nelson;Jack Koci;David Phelps;Ben Jarihani;Cameron Sims;Elle Robertson