Southern Queensland Landscapes' $2.1 million project to recover bare ground underway

In the next 14 months, Southern Queensland Landscapes will be working with land managers in the Lower Warrego, Traprock and Mitchell areas to improve soil health and land condition directly across more than 46,000 hectares initially, working towards 162,000ha later in the program.

Land managers in or near the three areas can check online if they are eligible to participate.

Southern Queensland Landscapes CEO Paul McDonald said the project would help land managers improve some of the state's most important environmental, grazing and cropping assets.

"This work helps land managers to mitigate the impacts of drought, flood, fire and climate change as well as further develop local knowledge and foster strong community partnerships," Mr McDonald said.

"By addressing bare ground areas in these three priority areas, the landscape's resilience and ability to respond to natural disasters and climate change improves while at the same time supporting land managers to adopt more sustainable practices, and ultimately, their local economies."

SQ Landscapes estimates there is more than 499,000ha of above average bare ground on grazing floodplains across 104 rural properties in the Lower Warrego area.

The organisation also says 8 per cent of the grazing flood plains in the Mitchell region also have above average bare ground, and in the Traprock area, bare ground is impacting the important headwater of the Border and Upper Condamine Rivers.

The state government-funded project will target weeds, address erosion, install off-stream watering points and fencing for better grazing management, conduct soil testing to inform appropriate actions to improve land condition, aim to slow the flow of high velocity water, and assist land managers to improve pasture composition.

While there are many contributors to a lack of landscape health, Mr McDonald says bare ground is a classic sign of poor soil health.

"Bare ground, amongst other impacts, raises soil temperatures well beyond ideal conditions for microbes to flourish and starves them through reduced soil organic matter," Mr McDonald said.

"Bare soil can reduce soil carbon storage and increase carbon entering the atmosphere contributing to global warming and leaving soil at risk of being blown or washed away through wind and water erosion."

He said Australia's ancient soils were typically low in organic matter and nutrients and highly susceptible to erosion.

According to the chief executive, inappropriate grazing, drought, poor water infiltration, soil compaction, pasture dieback, unsuitable pasture species, erosion, weeds and pests contributed to bare ground potential and further compounded the major challenges land managers had with successful management of their country.

"This project will help land managers address the impacts of bare ground in these three regions, and in turn, may benefit graziers, viticulturists and agriculturalists supplying some of the best Queensland produce both domestically and internationally," he said.

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