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Livestock Grazing Guidelines for Private Land Conservation

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Livestock Grazing Guidelines for Private Land Conservation LIVESTOCK GRAZING GUIDELINES FOR PRIVATE LAND CONSERVATION OBJECTIVE The NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) works in partnership with landholders to establish private land conservation agreements to conserve and manage high-value biodiversity on private land. Biodiversity values in conservation areas are maintained, enhanced or restored using a range of management actions. Domestic livestock grazing can be used as one such management tool to achieve biodiversity conservation goals in some circumstances, if implemented appropriately. These guidelines have been developed for landholders involved in the BCT’s private land conservation program to help develop grazing strategies that maintain and enhance biodiversity in native grassland and grassy woodland ecosystems. These guidelines seek to provide landholders with a suite of options that facilitate grazing regimes that support biodiversity conservation on their land. The BCT will use these guidelines to work with landholders in establishing arrangements for grazing management on land within a conservation agreement. Acknowledging that each paddock and the associated farming operation present unique circumstances, these guidelines are deliberately non-prescriptive and should be used as a framework that can then be tailored to a variety of situations. Regular monitoring, as part of a long-term strategy for evaluating conservation outcomes from grazing, will be essential to help guide decision making. CONTENTS Livestock Grazing Guidelines for private land conservation .................................................................................. 1 Objective ............................................................................................................................................................ 1 Glossary .............................................................................................................................................................. 3 Principles of grazing in conservation areas ........................................................................................................ 4 Grazing Framework ............................................................................................................................................ 5 Stage 1 – Is grazing appropriate for my conservation area? ......................................................................... 6 Stage 2 – Establish the site context ............................................................................................................... 6 Stage 3 – Set a conservation objective .......................................................................................................... 6 Stage 4 – Choose a grazing strategy .............................................................................................................. 7 Stage 5 – Monitoring and adaptive management ......................................................................................... 9 Minimising the impact of grazing in conservation areas .................................................................................. 11 FAQs ................................................................................................................................................................. 13 Further reading ................................................................................................................................................ 14 List of relevant literature .................................................................................................................................. 15 Appendix A – Healthy Condition thresholds and indicators ............................................................................. 17 Appendix B – Grazing diary template ............................................................................................................... 19 GLOSSARY Term Meaning Average grass sward height Method used to measure plant biomass. Using this method, the height of the grass sward is measured at the point where the same amount of grass biomass is above and below the average height. Conservation agreement A joint agreement between the landholder and the BCT to conserve and manage biodiversity on an area of land. Conservation area An area of land covered by the conservation agreement. Exotic plant An introduced plant species not native to NSW. Grassy ecosystem Native grassland or grassy woodland as defined by the NSW Map Unit Vegetation Classes in Keith (2004). Grazing window An agreed period set out in the management plan in which livestock grazing can occur within a paddock/s of the conservation area. The period is based on key growth times for the dominant native (informs resting period) and exotic plants. It includes a three-month primary grazing period to target exotic plants with shoulder months either side. Healthy Condition threshold A minimum condition of ground cover required (by region) using % ground cover and an average native grass sward height as set out in Appendix A. High threat weeds A list of vascular plants not native to Australia that, if not controlled, will invade and outcompete native plant species. Management plan Refers to the management plan included in the conservation agreement. This plan identifies the conservation management actions required to be undertaken on the conservation area. Native plant Any plant indigenous to the state. Rapid vegetation assessment A simplified assessment used by the BCT to collect vegetation condition data in the field based on the Biodiversity Assessment Method 2017 (BAM). Shoulder months The months outside the primary grazing window (and excluding the resting period), where the timing of grazing can be shifted based on seasonal variation. Total grazing pressure The combined grazing pressure exerted by all grazing animals (domestic, native and feral) on the vegetation, soil and water resources. Site productivity Influenced by soil fertility and water availability. Soil fertility The ability to supply essential plant nutrients and water in adequate amounts and proportions for plant growth and reproduction. Wet areas An area of wet soil that is prone to compaction and pugging caused by livestock. % Ground cover Ground cover is the amount of plant material (dead or alive) that covers the soil surface. It is expressed as a percentage - including living vegetation, dry litter, coarse woody debris (logs), mosses and lichens, excluding bare ground surface and rock. PRINCIPLES OF GRAZING IN CONSERVATION AREAS Livestock grazing can be a useful tool to achieve biodiversity conservation goals if guided by the following principles: 1. Livestock grazing in conservation areas is used as a tool to achieve site-specific biodiversity conservation objectives outlined in the landholder’s Management Plan. 2. Livestock grazing is confined to appropriate grassy ecosystems where it can either maintain or enhance biodiversity values by controlling exotic weeds and/or managing grassy ‘biomass’. 3. Grazing regimes include long resting periods to allow the flowering, seed set and germination of a selection of targeted native plant species outlined in the landholder’s Management Plan. 4. Total Grazing Pressure is managed to maintain ground cover in Healthy Condition. Thresholds for Healthy Condition are based on regional rainfall (annual averages) and the dominant species present. This threshold includes any grazing by feral and native herbivores and considers the prevailing climatic conditions at the time. 5. The grazing of livestock is most useful as a conservation management tool when least desired plants (e.g. exotic grasses and forbs) are most susceptible (just prior to flowering and seed) and when desired native species are least susceptible (post seed set and dispersal) to the impacts of grazing. The timing of this will inform the Grazing window outlined within the landholder’s Management Plan. 6. Grazing regimes are flexible, responsive to seasonality and non-prescriptive within the boundaries of maintaining Healthy Condition and the Grazing window. 7. Vegetation condition is regularly monitored by the landholder using methods outlined in the guidelines. Reports (including photo points, simple ground cover condition assessment and a grazing diary) are submitted annually to the BCT. GRAZING FRAMEWORK The BCT has developed an overarching framework for livestock grazing in conservation agreements to ensure that management leads to biodiversity conservation and is tailored and flexible for landholders. This framework outlines five stages to help guide landholders in developing a grazing strategy specific to their property. More detailed information about each stage is provided below. BCT regional staff can support landholders in working through this framework. STAGE 1 – IS GRAZING APPROPRIATE FOR MY CONSERVATION AREA? Establishing whether grazing is an appropriate management tool for the proposed conservation area is an important first step if grazing is to achieve biodiversity conservation outcomes. Exclusion of grazing by livestock will be appropriate in many circumstances. The BCT recommends that grazing be confined to grassy ecosystems and should generally be excluded from ‘wet areas’ or previously ungrazed areas, as these sites are very sensitive to grazing disturbances. In grassy ecosystems, establishing whether grazing is appropriate is dependent on a range of factors, including the climate, soils and species present on site as well as the current total grazing pressure
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