i) Grazing management

There is a link between grazing management and the capacity of land to produce quality pastures and fodder. Careful grazing strategies can even increase the diversity of some native remnant grasslands. However, in some cases rural residential developments have resulted in a concentration of grazing pressure. This, coupled with the traditional practice of set stocking, where animals are left to graze on the same pastures year-round, often causes serious pasture degradation unless very carefully managed.
Poor grazing management and overgrazing can lead to:
• bare patches and a susceptibility to erosion
• a reduction in water quality including pathogen transfer, nutrient runoff and increased turbidity
• declining soil structure and organic matter content
• loss of vegetation, including paddock trees and native species
• declining soil structure and organic matter in the soil
• increased weed invasion
• greater problems during drought.