Bare Ground

AUS-AMR-FOR-BAR General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range
Range: 10 to 30 %
Optimal Range: 10 to 30
Direction: Lower is desirable ↓
Form: OptimalRange

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 8 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 7 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

Proposed Optimal Range: 10% to 30% Bare Ground Justification: This expert-derived range is based on several lines of evidence.

Metric Definition:

Percentage range of bare ground representing an optimal state of ecosystem health, stability, and resilience in arid upland environments.

Benchmark Definition:

Optimal range for bare ground percentage indicating a healthy, functioning, and stable landscape in arid mountain ranges and uplands under production forestry.

Justification:

This expert-derived range is based on several lines of evidence including natural patchiness of arid ecosystems and the >70% cover needed to control water erosion on slopes.

Sources (1)

Preview of Maintaining groundcover to reduce erosion and sustain production - NSW Department of Primary Industries
Maintaining groundcover to reduce erosion and sustain production - NSW Department of Primary Industries Journal

Maintaining groundcover to reduce erosion and sustain production - NSW Department of Primary Industries

View Source

Supporting Sources (24)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of 10 Irrigated agriculture: development opportunities and implications for northern Australia, accessed July 31, 2025
10 Irrigated agriculture: development opportunities and implications for northern Australia, accessed July 31, 2025
Contextual Support Government

10 Irrigated agriculture: development opportunities and implications for northern Australia, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of A fresh framework for the ecology of arid Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed August 2, 2025
A fresh framework for the ecology of arid Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed August 2, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Runoff and erosion from Australia's tropical semi‐arid rangelands: Influence of ground cover for differing space and time scales | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of A history of CSIRO'S Central Australian Laboratory, 1 1953–80 pastoral land research, accessed July 31, 2025
A history of CSIRO'S Central Australian Laboratory, 1 1953–80 pastoral land research, accessed July 31, 2025
Contextual Support Government

Irrigated agriculture in the Murray-Darling Basin - DAFF, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Australia's bioregions (IBRA) - DCCEEW, accessed July 15, 2025
Australia's bioregions (IBRA) - DCCEEW, accessed July 15, 2025
Contextual Support

Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA), Version 7 (Regions), accessed July 12, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Carving up Australia's arid zone: a review of the bioregionalisation of the Eremaean and Eyrean biogeographic regions - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 31, 2025
Carving up Australia's arid zone: a review of the bioregionalisation of the Eremaean and Eyrean biogeographic regions - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 31, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Carving up Australia's arid zone: a review of the bioregionalisation of the Eremaean and Eyrean biogeographic regions - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Catchment Scale Land Use 2023, Scale of Mapping | Digital Atlas of Australia, accessed July 31, 2025
Catchment Scale Land Use 2023, Scale of Mapping | Digital Atlas of Australia, accessed July 31, 2025
Contextual Support

Catchment scale land use profiles Web Map - DAFF, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Flinders Ranges - UNESCO World Heritage Centre, accessed July 29, 2025,
Flinders Ranges - UNESCO World Heritage Centre, accessed July 29, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

Flinders Ranges - UNESCO World Heritage Centre, accessed July 28, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Grazing Management Principles No.3 - Local Land Services, accessed July 31, 2025
Grazing Management Principles No.3 - Local Land Services, accessed July 31, 2025
Contextual Support Government

Private Native Forestry Code of Practice for Cypress and Western Hardwood Forests - Local Land Services, accessed July 12, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 31, 2025
Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 31, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia - Wikipedia, accessed July 13, 2025,
Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia - Wikipedia, accessed July 13, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Category:IBRA regions - Wikipedia, accessed August 1, 2025

View Source
Preview of Invader or feeder? Grass takes root in arid zone - Cosmos Magazine, accessed July 27, 2025
Invader or feeder? Grass takes root in arid zone - Cosmos Magazine, accessed July 27, 2025
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Protecting the Central Australian Rock Rat - Territory NRM, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Invader or feeder? Grass takes root in arid zone - Cosmos Magazine, accessed July 31, 2025
Invader or feeder? Grass takes root in arid zone - Cosmos Magazine, accessed July 31, 2025
Contextual Support Government

Invader or feeder? Grass takes root in arid zone - Cosmos Magazine, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Irrigated crops - Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia - PIRSA, accessed July 31, 2025
Irrigated crops - Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia - PIRSA, accessed July 31, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Irrigated crops - Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia - PIRSA, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Irrigation trends – choosing what to grow | Murray–Darling Basin Authority, accessed July 31, 2025
Irrigation trends – choosing what to grow | Murray–Darling Basin Authority, accessed July 31, 2025
Contextual Support Government

Irrigation trends – choosing what to grow | Murray–Darling Basin Authority, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Little left to lose: deforestation and forest degradation in Australia since European colonization | Journal of Plant Ecology | Oxford Academic, accessed July 12, 2025,
Little left to lose: deforestation and forest degradation in Australia since European colonization | Journal of Plant Ecology | Oxford Academic, accessed July 12, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Little left to lose: deforestation and forest degradation in Australia since European colonization | Journal of Plant Ecology | Oxford Academic, accessed July 12, 2025,

View Source
Preview of MacDonnell Ranges - DCCEEW, accessed July 29, 2025,
MacDonnell Ranges - DCCEEW, accessed July 29, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

4.3 CLIMATE AND SOIL MOISTURE The West Macdonnell Ranges have a semi arid climate with low humidity and low but erratic annual r - AWS, accessed July 28, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Maintaining groundcover to reduce erosion and sustain production - NSW Department of Primary Industries, accessed July 22, 2025,
Maintaining groundcover to reduce erosion and sustain production - NSW Department of Primary Industries, accessed July 22, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Lang, D. (1979). Groundcover for pastures. Journal of Soil Conservation NSW.

View Source
Preview of Monitoring ground cover: an online tool for Australian regions - eo-data.csiro.au, accessed July 18, 2025,
Monitoring ground cover: an online tool for Australian regions - eo-data.csiro.au, accessed July 18, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Erosion and sediment yields in the Kakadu region of northern Australia - INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HYDROLOGICAL SCIENCES

View Source
Preview of NORTHERN FLINDERS RANGES - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 30, 2025
NORTHERN FLINDERS RANGES - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 30, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

NORTHERN FLINDERS RANGES - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of risks and impacts of plant industries on soil condition - Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, accessed July 31, 2025
risks and impacts of plant industries on soil condition - Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, accessed July 31, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

proceedings of the australian rangeland society biennial conference, accessed July 22, 2025

View Source
Preview of Soil Constraints in an Arid Environment—Challenges, Prospects, and Implications - MDPI, accessed July 6, 2025,
Soil Constraints in an Arid Environment—Challenges, Prospects, and Implications - MDPI, accessed July 6, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Soil pH | Environment, land and water - Queensland Government, accessed July 28, 2025

View Source
Preview of Structure Development in Surficial Heavy Clay Soils: A Synthesis of Mechanisms - Australian Geomechanics Society, accessed July 18, 2025,
Structure Development in Surficial Heavy Clay Soils: A Synthesis of Mechanisms - Australian Geomechanics Society, accessed July 18, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Managing arid zone natural resources in Australia for spatial and temporal variability – an approach from first principles - CSIRO PUBLISHING | The Rangeland Journal

View Source
Preview of THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS FORESTRY STRATEGY - DAFF, accessed July 31, 2025
THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS FORESTRY STRATEGY - DAFF, accessed July 31, 2025
Contextual Support

Forests of Australia (2023) | Digital Atlas of Australia, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Wind erosion | Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, accessed July 23, 2025
Wind erosion | Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, accessed July 23, 2025
Contextual Support Government

Macroecology of Australian Tall Eucalypt Forests: Baseline Data from a Continental-Scale Permanent Plot Network - PMC, accessed March 27, 2026,

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands
  • Land Use Production Forestry
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 22 Mar 2026

Notes

Maintaining bare ground within this 10-30% range provides a significant buffer, ensuring the system remains well below the critical 50% detrimental threshold, even during drought periods.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AMR-FOR-BAR family.

50 % Moderate
Production Forestry · Pristine Reference
MaximumOnly Active v1