Bare Ground — Benchmark Detail

Benchmark Value

50 %

Direction: Lower is desirable ↓

Form: MaximumOnly

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 13 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 12 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

Upper Boundary (Detrimental Threshold) > 50% Bare Ground (i.e., < 50% Ground Cover) for extended periods.

Metric Definition:

Bare ground percentage beyond which severe degradation and loss of ecosystem function occur.

Benchmark Definition:

A maximum threshold of 50% bare ground indicates severe degradation and loss of ecosystem function in Tropical Monsoonal Savannas agricultural crop production.

Justification:

Levels above 50% bare ground are widely associated with severe soil degradation, high erosion rates, and loss of biological activity, leading to substantial decline in productive capacity.

Sources (1)

Preview of Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management in Victoria, accessed July 19, 2025

Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management in Victoria, accessed July 19, 2025 Journal

Soil health: the foundation of sustainable agriculture - 2001 ...

View Source

Supporting Sources (4)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Final report - MLA, accessed July 19, 2025,

Regulatory Framework

Queensland Government guidelines for grazing lands

View Source

Ground Cover Monitoring for Australia - DAFF, accessed May 11, 2025

Contextual Support Government

Grazing-management-for-soil-carbon-in-Australia-A-review.pdf - University of Tasmania, accessed April 29, 2025,

View Source

Preview of Regenerative Agriculture - a literature review on the practices and mechanisms used to improve soil health - DPIRD's Digital library, accessed August 5, 2025,

Regenerative Agriculture - a literature review on the practices and mechanisms used to improve soil health - DPIRD's Digital library, accessed August 5, 2025,

Contextual Support

Regenerative Agriculture Program restoring soil pH case study: Macdonald, Whites Flat/Koppio

View Source

Regenerative Agriculture - Project Regeneration, accessed July 25, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Regenerative agriculture in Australia: the changing face of farming - Frontiers, accessed July 23, 2025

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical Monsoonal Savannas
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 2
Effective From 7 Jun 2026

Notes

Sustained bare ground levels exceeding 50% indicate a severely degraded system with high risk of irreversible damage. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TMS-AGR-BAR family.