Novelly P (Western Australian Department of Agriculture, Kununurra); Greiner R (CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Townsville); Price O (Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, Darwin); Schoknecht N (Western Australian Department of Agriculture, South Perth); Wallace J (CSIRO Centre for Mathematical and Information Sciences, Perth)
A project to characterise and assess rangeland resources conducted a biophysical and socioeconomic inventory of the Ord River catchment in the East Kimberley WA. The tools and capacity developed during the project provide a basis for implementing monitoring programs to assess future trends in rangeland resources. The socioeconomic profile can be used to assist in regional land use planning and management. An assessment of current biodiversity data serves as a precursor to a regional conservation plan and enables the identification of gaps to target future resource allocation. The project also developed a methodology for mapping land units that produces maps of high quality and resolution more cost effectively than traditional field-based methods. Interactive computer-based software, Vegmachine, was also developed to monitor rangeland condition using remote sensing. The results of the project provide a sound basis for an improved understanding of the East Kimberley?s rangeland resources, and the impact of intensified production (A).
