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Can extension programs improve grazing management in rangelands: a case study in Australia
Rangeland Journal ( IF 1.2 ) Pub Date : 2021-02-11 , DOI: 10.1071/rj20098
John Rolfe , Megan Star , Adam Curcio

A key challenge in reducing sediment moving from grazing lands into the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is to encourage beef cattle producers to improve management practices. Excessive grazing pressures cause land degradation, leading to both increased sediment runoff and lower future profits. Although higher grazing rates may be possible (and profitable) in better seasons, slow rates of adjustment to poorer seasons can lead to overgrazing and negative impacts on land condition. For policymakers the challenge is to find mechanisms that encourage or signal producers to be more precise in their management and avoid overstocking. Some of the most common options include extension programs, grant programs that use financial incentives, and regulation.

In this paper we outline a conceptual framework that shows why extension may be a more powerful driver of management change than incentive programs, and then test this through an evaluation of a case study program conducted with beef cattle producers in catchments of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The pathway involving landholders to implement management change was through improved efficiency and productivity, as these are the issues that drive ongoing participation in broader environmental programs.

The results present multiple lines of evidence to infer positive outcomes of an extension program in terms of changed management practices, which may be expected to generate improved productivity and better water quality outcomes. These can be grouped into three key areas. First, outcomes show positive improvement relative to the Grazing Water Quality Risk framework for the Great Barrier Reef catchments, which is designed to assess the links between land management and water quality. This indicates that resource condition is likely to improve and sediment emissions should be reduced over time. A second outcome is increased landholder engagement and improved understanding of their business and engagement in future programs, which should underpin ongoing adoption. A third outcome is improved management of risk and developing the skills to do this through data collection and monitoring, which should improve management responses in drought years.



中文翻译:

推广计划能否改善牧场的放牧管理:澳大利亚的一个案例研究

减少沉积物从放牧地进入澳大利亚大堡礁的主要挑战是鼓励肉牛生产者改善管理方法。过度的放牧压力会导致土地退化,从而增加泥沙径流并降低未来利润。尽管在较好的季节可能有更高的放牧率(并有利可图),但适应较差季节的缓慢调整率可能导致过度放牧并对土地状况产生负面影响。对于政策制定者来说,挑战在于寻找一种机制,鼓励或暗示生产者在管理上更加精确,并避免库存过多。一些最常见的选择包括扩展计划,使用经济激励的赠款计划和监管。

在本文中,我们概述了一个概念框架,该框架说明了为什么扩展可能比激励计划更能推动管理变革,然后通过对与大堡礁流域的肉牛生产者进行的案例研究评估来对此进行测试,澳大利亚。土地所有者实施管理变革的途径是通过提高效率和生产力,因为这些问题促使人们不断参与更广泛的环境计划。

结果提供了多方面的证据,可以根据变更的管理实践推断出扩展计划的积极成果,这有望产生更高的生产率和更好的水质成果。这些可以分为三个关键领域。首先,相对于大堡礁流域的放牧水质风险框架,结果表明了积极的改善,该框架旨在评估土地管理与水质之间的联系。这表明资源状况可能会改善,随着时间的流逝应减少沉积物的排放。第二个结果是土地所有者的参与度提高,对他们的业务和对未来计划的参与度提高了理解,这将为不断采用土地奠定基础。

更新日期:2021-02-15
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