( DAF ), Griffith University completed the LiDAR analyses , University of Southern Queensland undertook soils analyses , and CSIRO analysed Patchkey data .
Sediment savings from all sites is 1,886 tonnes per annum .
Total project expenditure was $ 2,039,110 plus in-kind contributions from other programs , staff time and resources , and grazier cash and in-kind contributions totalling $ 372,000 .
The project delivered significant activity in the Bowen and Collinsville regional economy including expenditure on construction materials , infrastructure materials , vehicle hire , accommodation and catering , equipment hire , the provision of services by local contractors including fencing contractors , and earthworks construction and maintenance .
Project findings included :
• Project sites on productive soils had a very positive response to livestock exclusion and planned grazing practices , with increased plant biomass , improved ground cover , improvement in gully profiles and stabilisation of gully channels .
• Project sites on more fragile , less productive soils also demonstrated positive response to livestock exclusion and planned grazing practices but the lower fertility , generally , meant it was a slower response . However , even sites dominated by Indian couch were capable of high levels of biomass production in average to good seasons .
• Very active gully heads , on productive and less productive soil sites , were still susceptible to gully head progression even with good catchment ground cover and plant biomass , unless water was removed from the system
( e . g . via diversion banks ) or gully heads were stabilised through earthworks or other intervention .
• A number of severely scalded sites had trials of mechanical , livestock exclusion and livestock impact treatments .
o Ripping and re-seeding may assist with rehabilitation of scalded sites ( the addition of ameliorants , for example , gypsum and spreading hay or “ bale grazing ” using livestock may improve outcomes .
o Biological carpeting , using high numbers of camping livestock , at a severely scalded alluvial gully site was very successful , with stable vegetation cover established within two wet seasons .
o The positive impact of marsupial exclusion on the recovery of a severelyscalded landscape was demonstrated by a marsupial exclusion fence .
• There was limited evidence the application of livestock treatments , such as planned rotational grazing practices or high density ( or ultra high density ) grazing practices , accelerated the improvement of land condition at the project sites . Equally , on project sites where livestock were excluded , there was little observable or measured difference between livestock exclusion compared to planned grazing practices .
• Planned grazing practices , however , provided significant production ( for example , graze days / ha / mm of rainfall ), profitability ( for example kilogram of live weight gained ) and ground cover benefits , where the pasture biomass used by livestock was closely
P4 — Executive Summary