| dc.description.abstract |
Examination of data on dietary preferences of sheep, goats and cattle suggests that different grazing systems are desirable for eachof the three major woodland types (belah-rosewood, mulga, poplar box) examined. Competition for herbs, frequently palatable to all animalspecies, indicates that goats and sheep are unsuitable for joint use either in heavily wooded country or where annual herbaceous productionis less than 200 kg-ha. Supplementary feeding, fire and judicious stocking are proposed as a strategy for inducing goats to eat a proportionof unpalatable shrubs.The literature provides little helpful information on how rangelands in the Western Division should be managed. No reports are givenon comparisons of grazing systems, such as rotational grazing, rotational resting, and continuous grazing. No guidance is given on grazingafter burning of the rangeland. Recommendations are generally against the use of goats for control of woody plants, whereas local observationshows this to be an apparently effective practice. The recommendations are mostly based on experimental procedures which, although suitablefor detecting animal dietary preferences in the short term, are less appropriate for investigation of the effects of grazing on range conditionin the long term. Some suggestions are made towards a different approach for: investigating the effects of grazing by sheep and goats onrangeland condition, and the economic implications of this in terms of animal production. |
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