Bare Ground — Benchmark Detail

Benchmark Value

22.1 %

Direction: Lower is desirable ↓

Form: Point

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 16 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 15 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard MaximumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

The reference value of 22.1% bare ground represents an achievable benchmark for high ecological health in sustainably managed livestock grazing systems within Australia's temperate semi-arid woodlands.

Metric Definition:

Bare Ground (%) - the percentage of soil surface that is not covered by vegetation or litter, measured by point-intercept method.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the percentage of bare ground indicating high ecological health in temperate semi-arid woodlands under sustainable livestock grazing, based on the 25th percentile of well-managed sites.

Justification:

This benchmark is based on the 25th percentile of bare ground values from TERN AusPlots data representing the top 25% of best-managed grazing sites, indicating high ecological health.

Sources (2)

Managing grazing to increase ground cover in rangelands: using remote sensing to detect change - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 18, 2025, Journal

Managing grazing to increase ground cover in rangelands: using remote sensing to detect change - CSIRO Publishing

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Preview of Restoration of degraded grazing country in the semi-arid areas of ..., accessed July 10, 2025,

Restoration of degraded grazing country in the semi-arid areas of ..., accessed July 10, 2025, Journal

Maintain and improve groundcover - Local Land Services

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Supporting Sources (1)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Synthesis of TERN AusPlots Rangelands survey data (2011-2019) and national best-practice guidelines for invasive species management in Australian arid rangelands.

Synthesis of TERN AusPlots Rangelands survey data (2011-2019) and national best-practice guidelines for invasive species management in Australian arid rangelands.

Direct Evidence

researchportal.murdoch.edu.au, accessed May 10, 2025

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Semi-Arid Shrublands & Open Woodlands
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 7 Jun 2026

Notes

This benchmark sits well within the optimal range for landscape function. The broader functional range includes a lower critical threshold at 50% bare ground, above which soils become highly vulnerable to erosion. No detrimental upper threshold for bare ground is identified; lower bare ground is consistently better for ecosystem health. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

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