Opportunities to build resilience of beef cattle properties in the mulga lands of south-western Queensland, Australia

Beef producers in the mulga lands of south-western Queensland and north-western New South Wales, Australia, face the challenges of inherently low productivity and profitability, exacerbated by widespread pasture degradation and high climate and market variability. Our objective was to use the farm-management economics framework to assess the ability of management strategies and investment options to improve profitability and build the overall resilience of beef cattle properties in the mulga lands. Options were assessed for a hypothetical, representative beef cattle property in south-western Queensland (20 000 ha; initial stocking rate 600 adult equivalents). Firstly, strategies were assessed for their ability to improve profitability when operated as a beef business. Secondly, two alternative investment options were assessed: (1) conversion to rangeland meat goat production; and (2) conversion to carbon farming through carbon sequestration. Herd and economic modelling software were used to conduct property-level, partial discounted cash-flow budgets to assess each strategy over a 30-year investment period. Results indicated very limited potential to improve the profitability and resilience of an existing beef cattle enterprise in the mulga lands. However, full or partial conversion to rangeland meat goat production or carbon farming improved property-level returns and viability.

Carbon myopia: The urgent need for integrated social, economic and environmental action in the livestock sector

Livestock have long been integral to food production systems, often not by choice but by need. While our knowledge of livestock greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation has evolved, the prevailing focus has been-somewhat myopically-on technology applications associated with mitigation. Here, we (1) examine the global distribution of livestock GHG emissions, (2) explore social, economic and environmental co-benefits and trade-offs associated with mitigation interventions and (3) critique approaches for quantifying GHG emissions. This review uncovered many insights. First, while GHG emissions from ruminant livestock are greatest in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC; globally, 66% of emissions are produced by Latin America and the Caribbean, East and southeast Asia and south Asia), the majority of mitigation strategies are designed for developed countries. This serious concern is heightened by the fact that 80% of growth in global meat production over the next decade will occur in LMIC. Second, few studies concurrently assess social, economic and environmental aspects of mitigation. Of the 54 interventions reviewed, only 16 had triple-bottom line benefit with medium-high mitigation potential. Third, while efforts designed to stimulate the adoption of strategies allowing both emissions reduction (ER) and carbon sequestration (CS) would achieve the greatest net emissions mitigation, CS measures have greater potential mitigation and co-benefits. The scientific community must shift attention away from the prevailing myopic lens on carbon, towards more holistic, systems-based, multi-metric approaches that carefully consider the raison d'être for livestock systems. Consequential life cycle assessments and systems-aligned 'socio-economic planetary boundaries' offer useful starting points that may uncover leverage points and cross-scale emergent properties. The derivation of harmonized, globally reconciled sustainability metrics requires iterative dialogue between stakeholders at all levels. Greater emphasis on the simultaneous characterization of multiple sustainability dimensions would help avoid situations where progress made in one area causes maladaptive outcomes in other areas.

Pyrolysis of invasive woody vegetation for energy and biochar has climate change mitigation potential

Woody plant encroachment in agricultural areas reduces agricultural production and is a recognised land degradation problem of global significance. Invasive native scrub (INS) is woody vegetation that invades southern Australian rangelands and is commonly cleared to return land to agricultural production. Clearing of INS emits carbon to the atmosphere, and the retention of INS by landholders for the purpose of avoiding carbon emissions has been incentivized in Australia as an emission reduction strategy. Retaining INS, however, means land remains relatively unproductive because INS negatively impacts livestock production. This desktop study examined whether clearing INS to return an area to production, and pyrolysing residues to produce biochar, has the potential to provide climate change mitigation (the "pyrolysis scenario"). The syngas produced via pyrolysis was assumed to be used to generate electricity that was fed into the electricity grid and avoided the production of electricity from existing sources. In addition, the biochar was assumed to be applied to soils used for wheat production, giving mitigation benefits from reduced N₂O emissions from fertiliser use and reduction in the use of lime to ameliorate soil acidity. Relative to clearing INS and burning residues in-situ, the pyrolysis scenario resulted in a reduction in radiative forcing of 1.28 × 10^-4 W m² ha^-1 of INS managed, 25 years after clearing, and was greater than the reduction of 1.06 × 10^-4 W m² ha^-1 that occurred when INS was retained. The greatest contribution to the climate change mitigation provided by the pyrolysis scenario came from avoided emissions from grid electricity production, while avoided N₂O and lime emissions made a relatively minor contribution towards mitigation.

A narrative to support the future of the Australian Outback

Stories matter: as powerful frames for policy and public understanding, but the current narratives about Outback Australia are both confused and often negative. We illustrate this power of stories, including how deliberate framing and story-telling to create a better narrative on some rangeland issues has had positive policy outcomes. Moving to a more intuitive name is one key issue – we suggest that talking of the ‘Modern Outback’ is a powerful change in this regard. We then draw on discussions to provide a set of guiding principles for how to frame writings about the Outback, and give an example of their use.

Carbon farming for resilient rangelands: people, paddocks and policy

Carbon farming is a new land use option over extensive areas of the Australian rangelands. This land use change has been promoted by government incentives to mitigate climate change, with most of Australia’s land sector abatement to date being delivered in rangelands. Aside from these mitigation benefits, carbon farming has also demonstrated potential co-benefits that enhance socio-ecological resilience by diversifying land uses and income streams, providing opportunities for sustainable land management to enhance soil and vegetation and creating opportunities for self-organisation and collaboration. However, factors such as policy uncertainty, perceived loss of future land use flexibility and the potential for carbon farming eligibility to create social divisions may negatively affect resilience. In this paper we weigh up these risks, opportunities and co-benefits and propose indicators for measuring the impact of carbon farming on the resilience of rangeland systems. A set of land policy principles for enhancing resilience through carbon farming are also identified.