Rangeland inventory and condition survey in the Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

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The Carnarvon Basin rangelands were surveyed between 1980 and 1982.

The survey described and mapped the natural resources of the region’s pastoral leasehold land. The survey provides land managers, advisers and administrators with a baseline record of the area’s natural resources, to assist with planning and land management.

How to use this survey

This survey can help pastoral industry managers to plan and manage for sustainable use of pastoral natural resources, and protect degraded areas or areas at risk of degradation.

This survey:

  • identified and described the condition of soils, landforms, vegetation, habitat, ecosystems, and declared plants and animals
  • assessed the impact of pastoralism
  • recommended land management, including recommended carrying capacities, for each pastoral lease.

Survey area and inventory summary

This survey covers about 74,500 square kilometres in the Carnarvon Basin and Shark Bay regions, and includes the catchments of the Lyndon and Minilya rivers and the lower reaches of the Gascoyne and Wooramel rivers. A. Payne, P. Curry and G. Spencer surveyed the area between 1980 and 1982 and published the results as Technical bulletin 73 'An inventory and condition survey of rangelands in the Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia'.

Vegetation of the Carnarvon Basin area is dominated mainly by perennial shrubs. A small number of botanical families contain a large proportion of the dominant perennials in the area. The genera Acacia, Eremophila and Cassia are pre-eminent in the taller shrub communities; the genera Atriplex and Maireana dominate in the low chenopod shrublands; the genus Eucalyptus dominates in the low woodlands; and the genera Triodia and Plectrachne dominate in the hummock grasslands.

Condition summary

The survey report provides condition statements – at the time of the survey – for the whole survey area and for each land system. Pasture and soil condition was assessed at almost 11,000 points throughout the survey area. The survey found that:

  • 45% of the points were in good rangeland condition
  • 32% were in fair rangeland condition
  • 23% were in poor rangeland condition.

Contact information

Damian Priest
+61 (0)8 9956 3349
Matthew Fletcher
+61 (0)8 9166 4019