Pastoral value and production from native pastures

The fundamental importance of maintaining a permanent groundcover of healthy deep‐rooted perennial species is becoming more widely recognised in Australia. While a short‐term increase in animal production can be achieved by replacing an old pasture with a new one, most sown pastures in the high‐rainfall zone have proved to be inherently unstable and have degraded over time to low‐productivity pastures dominated by pioneer species of annual grasses and broad‐leaved weeds. Recent research has shown that grazing tolerant native species such as microlaena and danthonia, which utilise facultative seeder/sprouter regenerative strategies, can both increase ground‐cover over time and provide high‐quality forage for domestic livestock. However, sown native pastures, if based on a limited number of species, may also prove to be unstable. A change in species orientation from introduced to native is unlikely to halt land degradation unless it is accompanied by radical changes to land management practices, in...