Sixteen stations were funded by the WA State Government in Phase One of the program to attend relevant training courses and provided access to professional expertise. They were supported to engage regularly as a group to draw on the experience and knowledge of other participants, work together on common issues, assess and provide feedback on solutions – equipping them with the knowledge and skills to piece things together themselves.
Project activities were driven by participating pastoralists and supported by DPIRD. The collective learnings of the group will be shared with the wider industry.
This program has a focus on a whole-system-approach to address both resource base protection and livestock profitability including:
- the regeneration of palatable, productive, perennial vegetation
- landscape function and hydration restoration
- total grazing pressure control
- livestock profitability.
Program phases
The program is being delivered in 3 phases. All 16 stations from Phase One were invited to apply for funding and progress into Phase Two.
- Phase One
- Phase Two - currently open
- Phase Three
Phase Two (June 2022 - June 2024)
The second phase, funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund – Resilient Soils and Landscape program and the WA State Government’s Climate Resilience Fund will support a selection of pastoralists from Phase One to implement their on-ground station priorities that demonstrate different approaches and systems. The Australian Government awarded $1 million towards the program which was matched by the WA State Government.
Grants will be awarded for pastoralists to undertake projects to demonstrate how drought resilience in the southern rangelands of WA can be improved through the restoration of the natural capital and implementation of practices aimed to protect the resource base and increase livestock profitability. This will be supported by further training opportunities, support during project implementation and the continuation of the facilitated pastoralist support group.
Phase Two - grant recipients (announced 23 March 2023)
| Murchison | Challa Station Wooleen Murchison House Hillview | $146,880 $88,364 $150,000 $93,760 |
|---|---|---|
| Gascoyne | Dairy Creek Carey Downs | $79,009 $93,760 |
Further projects have been identified for more consideration, and DPIRD will continue to work with all pastoralists in the Phase One group through various activities.
Phase One (March 2021 - December 2022)
The initial 12-month phase focussed on investigating solutions and planning including:
- funded attendance of pastoralists for up to seven relevant training courses
- supported access to relevant professional expertise and coaching
- facilitated support and activities provided for the group to fine-tune solutions for each station - drawing on the knowledge and experience of pastoralists.
The group of stations held 9 meetings in 2022 and were supported to access 5 specialist training courses and on-station expert site visits.
Phase One - grant recipients (announced on 23 February 2022)
| Murchison | Edah Murchison House Hillview Gabyon Challa Station Kirkalocka Melangata Wooleen |
|---|---|
| Goldfields | Menangina Prenti Downs Sturt Meadows Edjudina |
| Nullarbor | Mundrabilla |
| Gascoyne | Jimba Jimba Dairy Creek Carey Downs |
Phase 3 (July 2023 – June 2027)
The Southern Rangelands Revitalisation Extension is an expansion of the program to include an additional 30 stations to the program over the next four years from the 16 stations initially involved in the pilot. The program is focused on improving rangeland condition and livestock profitability in the southern rangelands.
Grants for on-ground station revitalisation projects will again be part of the program. It is anticipated the grants for this phase will be offered over several rounds following training and facilitated peer to peer learning assisting in the development of station revitalisation projects. Decision tools will support project development and project monitoring will be supported with AgTech packages. Regional producer driven demonstration sites will be established to explore practices. The Automatic Weather Station network in the Southern Rangelands will be expanded to support preparation and response to extreme weather events and improved seasonal decision making.
Revitalisation need and potential
At a DPIRD-led industry workshop in June 2021, which brought together 40 representatives with an interest in rangelands revitalisation, working out what was needed to support revitalisation of the southern rangelands was at the forefront of discussions.
Knowledge was shared about the importance of revitalising the southern rangelands. Attending pastoralists expressed their desire of a viable, profitable, and thriving livestock industry. They also highlighted the importance of the region becoming economically and biologically sustainable through improving landscape and balancing profit and productivity with revitalisation.
Participants also spent some time workshopping the pathway to achieve a profitable and sustainable system and process of revitalisation.