Bare Ground — Benchmark Detail

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: MinimumOnly

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context. The scoring engine uses 11 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 10 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary MinimumOnly Guard Point Guard MaximumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard

Evidence & Context

The Queensland Government's threshold of > 50% bare ground defines 'poor' condition.

Metric Definition:

Bare Ground (%) is defined as the percentage of exposed soil surface not covered by vegetation (living or dead) or litter.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark marks the critical threshold where bare ground exceeding 50% indicates poor land condition requiring intervention in the Tropical & Subtropical Maritime Islands biome.

Justification:

The Queensland Government's regulatory definition of > 50% bare ground as 'poor condition' serves as a critical management and ecological tipping point.

Sources (1)

Grazing Best Practice GreyLiterature

Grazing water quality risk framework 2017-2022 - Reef 2050 Water ..., accessed July 19, 2025,

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical & Subtropical Maritime Islands
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 22 Mar 2026

Notes

Exceeding this level signifies 'poor' land condition and triggers negative ecological feedbacks including erosion and reduced water infiltration. ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-23 00:16 UTC: LowerThreshold 50 → (check: MinEqualsMax, rationale: The Notes indicate that 50% bare ground is an upper degradation limit, which should be represented as a MaximumOnly threshold. Since a MaximumOnly threshold at 50 already exists (ID=1573), the MinimumOnly threshold at 50 is redundant and creates a zero-width range. Removing the LowerThreshold from the MinimumOnly benchmark resolves the contradiction without duplicating forms.) ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-23 00:16 UTC: LowerThreshold 50 → (check: MinAboveOptimalHigh, rationale: The Notes indicate that exceeding 50% bare ground causes degradation, which is an upper limit and should be a MaximumOnly threshold. Since a MaximumOnly benchmark with UpperThreshold=50 already exists (ID=1573), the MinimumOnly threshold at 50 is redundant and causes contradiction. Setting LowerThreshold to null removes the conflicting MinimumOnly threshold, resolving the MinAboveOptimalHigh error.) ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-24 20:12 UTC: BenchmarkValue 50 → (check: MinEqualsMax, rationale: The Notes indicate that 50% bare ground is an upper degradation limit, which should be represented as a MaximumOnly threshold. Since a MaximumOnly threshold at 50 already exists (ID=1573), the MinimumOnly threshold at 50 is redundant and creates a zero-width range. Removing the BenchmarkValue from the MinimumOnly benchmark resolves the contradiction without duplicating forms.)

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TMI-LVG-BAR family.