This project will support land managers and NRM extension officers to improve decision-making around total grazing pressure (TGP) by building foundational skills in monitoring vegetation condition and resilience. It focuses on practical, field-based assessment methods that help identify when grazing impacts are minimal, and when vegetation is moving toward a higher-risk state of over-utilisation.

Project description:

Land managers often question whether their current level of total grazing pressure, particularly from goats, rabbits and macropod species, is making a measurable difference to both natural and production assets on their properties. Conventional monitoring approaches can be time and infrastructure intensive.

This project will equip land managers and extension staff with a data-driven, repeatable monitoring approach using field-based vegetation assessment surveys to track changes in perennial plant form and browsing intensity over time. The methodology will be supported through the development of a practical Vegetation Assessment Glovebox Guide, enabling land managers to create their own monitoring programs, evaluate management effectiveness, and make more informed grazing and control decisions.

To strengthen understanding of the broader impacts of feral goats, the project will also develop an accompanying Goat Management Booklet to support awareness, behaviour change, and long-term business and landscape sustainability.

Key achievements and results:

As of mid-2026, the project has made strong progress in developing practical resources and delivering hands-on training to improve vegetation monitoring and total grazing pressure management across the South Australian Arid Lands. Workshops have focused on building practical skills that producers can immediately apply on their own properties, with field-based delivery proving highly effective for demonstrating vegetation assessment techniques under local conditions.

Producer feedback has highlighted the value of regionally specific, paddock-based learning, with participants particularly valuing practical demonstrations, identification of indicator species and techniques for monitoring grazing pressure. Despite some workshop rescheduling due to rainfall and road closures, the project remains on track to complete remaining activities during 2026.

Project progress includes:

• Published the Plants Under Pressure glovebox guide and vegetation assessment checklist to support practical monitoring of land condition and total grazing pressure.
• Completed the Goat Management booklet, providing practical guidance to help producers manage grazing pressure from feral goats.
• Delivered one staff training session and two public Plants Under Pressure workshops, with a final workshop scheduled to complete project delivery.
• Delivered workshops using an on-property, paddock-based format, allowing participants to identify indicator species, assess vegetation condition and apply monitoring techniques in real-world settings.
• Developed practical decision-support resources that help producers assess vegetation condition and make informed decisions about livestock management, total grazing pressure and drought preparedness before land condition declines.

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