Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/7204
Title: Runoff and erosion in woody encroachment, pasture and woodland vegetation in semi-arid New South Wales, Australia
Contributor(s): Munoz-Robles, Carlos (author); Reid, Nicholas  (supervisor)orcid ; Tighe, Matthew  (supervisor); Briggs, Sue (supervisor); Wilson, Brian  (supervisor)orcid ; Frazier, Paul  (supervisor)
Conferred Date: 2011
Copyright Date: 2010
Open Access: Yes
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/7204
Abstract: Woody encroachment is the increase in density, cover, extent or biomass of woody plants. It has been reported from arid and semi-arid areas around the world. Woody encroachment is the result of changes in factors such as weather and climate, grazing pressure, fire regimes, and combinations of these. The most widely recognised effects of woody encroachment are the decline in herbaceous forage production and carrying capacity for livestock, decreased biodiversity and socioeconomic value of affected areas, and, in some cases, increased runoff and soil erosion. The eco-hydrological responses of areas of woody encroachment and of pastures established after removing the woody vegetation are not well understood in semi-arid Australia. The aim of this thesis was to investigate runoff, erosion and associated factors in woody encroachment, and how these compare with other vegetation states in semi-arid Australia from an eco-hydrological perspective. ... Overall, the study showed that runoff and erosion in the four vegetation states are mostly site-dependent. Hydrological and erosional responses in woody encroachment were generally not significantly different from those in recently and long-established pastures and woodland. The study showed that ground cover type and amount and its spatial distribution largely determine runoff and erosion responses in the studied systems. There is potential in using high resolution satellite imagery and spatial modelling to apply accepted concepts of semi-arid patchiness to link small-scale eco-hydrological and erosional responses to larger scales appropriate for management. The study showed that factors related to gully erosion in woody encroachment areas are related to topographic thresholds that can be used for the identification of areas susceptible to gullying.
Publication Type: Thesis Doctoral
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 079999 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences not elsewhere classified
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 960905 Farmland, Arable Cropland and Permanent Cropland Water Management
Rights Statement: Copyright 2010 - Carlos Munoz-Robles
HERDC Category Description: T2 Thesis - Doctorate by Research
Publisher/associated links: http://www.iuss.org/19th%20WCSS/symposium/pdf/0125.pdf
Appears in Collections:Thesis Doctoral

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