Establishing pastoralist monitoring sites in the grasslands: a guide for pastoralists

This guide is for lessees and station managers who wish to establish rangeland condition monitoring programs for their pastoral leases. The guide outlines the main principles to consider for establishing monitoring sites, and the collecting and recording data to monitor changes over time of rangeland condition within a grassland environment. Identifying and ongoing monitoring of representative sites can be used to objectively assess the effect of livestock numbers, fire and seasonal conditions on the health of the perennial vegetation and soil. Importantly, monitoring can assist lessees demonstrate whether their current land management practices are appropriate for achieving acceptable rangeland condition

Primary Industries Development Research Highlights 2021

The Primary Industries Development Research Highlights 2021 showcases the breadth and depth of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s research and development activities over the past several years. Stories featured in Research Highlights 2021 stem from about 60 (of 140) current and recently-completed projects undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) 1100 scientists, technical experts and economists throughout the State. Explore our Research Highlights 2021. The publication demonstrates the innovative and applicable research that DPIRD and its collaborators and investment partners deliver to Western Australia. Download the Research Highlights 2021 here. Alternatively, a copy is available from DPIRD offices on request.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/books/1021/thumbnail.jp

Octopus resource of Western Australia harvest strategy 2018-2022. Version 1.0

Harvest strategies for aquatic resources managed by the Western Australian (WA) Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) are formal documents that are prepared based on a formal policy (Department of Fisheries 2015) to support the decision-making processes and ensure consistency with the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD; Fletcher 2002) and Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM; Fletcher et al. 2010). The objectives of ESD are reflected in the objects of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 (FRMA), Section 3, and the Aquatic Resources Management Act (ARMA) 2016, Clause 9, which will replace the FRMA once enacted

Cultural values, deep mining operations and the use of surplus groundwater for towns, landscapes and jobs

Trade-offs involving land use change, cultural values, water resources and jobs are critically important to understand the opportunity cost of resource extraction. Stated preference techniques can be particularly useful in eliciting the non-market values expressed as trade-offs. This study assesses preferences over the management of groundwater released from deep mining operations in Western Australia. A discrete choice experiment is used to investigate the trade-offs Australians are prepared to make for remote economic, ecological and cultural goods against costs. The results suggest that there is heterogeneity of preferences as indicated by a three-class structure of a latent class model. One class supports the use of released groundwater across a range of economic, ecological and cultural uses modelled: extending town water supply, restoring rangeland habitat, creating jobs for Aboriginal Australians and preserving cultural waterholes. The smallest class supports all these uses except job creation and the final class only supports preserving cultural waterholes. These results illustrate public attitudes towards cultural values as well as wider environmental policy tensions between instrumental and intrinsic values

Skeleton weed in Western Australia: Management Guide

Skeleton weed is a declared plant which can reduce crop yields by competing for moisture and nutrients (mainly nitrogen). This Management Guide has been designed to assist landholders and increase their capacity to manage and eradicate skeleton weed infestations on their properties and to prevent further spread within the State. Without the coordinated program aimed at controlling spread, skeleton weed would now be much more abundant and widely established throughout the cereal growing areas.https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1281/thumbnail.jp

Skeleton weed in Western Australia Control Program 2021/22

The Program now includes: • Recommendations for control in legume based annual pastures. • Provision of clopyralid (Lontrel™) herbicide to eligible landholders, to undertake their own spraying of paddocks that are greater than 10% infested (by area), and known as heavily infested paddocks, has been retained (introduced in 2019/20).https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1282/thumbnail.jp

Ecological Risk Assessment of the Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD, Department) in Western Australia (WA) uses an Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) approach that considers all relevant ecological as well as social, economic and governance issues to deliver community outcomes (Fletcher et al. 2010; 2012). Ecological risk assessments (ERAs) are undertaken periodically to assess the impacts of fisheries on all the different components of the aquatic environments in which they operate

Skeleton weed in Western Australia: Management Guide

Skeleton weed is a declared plant which can reduce crop yields by competing for moisture and nutrients (mainly nitrogen). This Management Guide has been designed to assist landholders and increase their capacity to manage and eradicate skeleton weed infestations on their properties and to prevent further spread within the State. Without the coordinated program aimed at controlling spread, skeleton weed would now be much more abundant and widely established throughout the cereal growing areas.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1281/thumbnail.jp