Bare Ground

AUS-AMR-FOR-BAR General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range
Direction: Lower is desirable ↓
Form: CompositeFramework

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is CompositeFramework, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.

Contributing Benchmarks

CompositeFramework Primary MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard

Evidence & Context

From a purely physical soil erosion perspective, there is no "critically low" level of bare ground; less bare ground equates to greater stability. However, when considering overall ecosystem health, the concept of a lower boundary becomes more complex.

Metric Definition:

Percentage of ground surface that is bare soil, without vegetation or protective cover.

Benchmark Definition:

The lower boundary is not a numeric value but a qualitative threshold where low bare ground caused by invasive monocultures indicates ecosystem degradation.

Justification:

Very low bare ground (<10%) caused by invasive species like Buffel Grass represents a severely degraded ecosystem despite good erosion control.

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 GreyLiterature

A fresh framework for the ecology of arid Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 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)

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 29, 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

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 30, 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

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

Invader or feeder? Grass takes root in arid zone - Cosmos Magazine, accessed July 27, 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

Priority Places initiative to benefit MacDonnell Ranges threatened species, accessed August 2, 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

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

www.dcceew.gov.au, accessed July 27, 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

Long-term contemporary erosion rates in an arid rangelands ...

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 Constraints in an Arid Environment—Challenges, Prospects, and Implications - MDPI

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

Ground cover monitoring for Australia - DAFF

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands
  • Land Use Production Forestry
  • Assessment Not Stated
  • Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 7 Jun 2026

Notes

A very low bare ground percentage can be misleading as it may indicate invasive monocultures that harm biodiversity and alter fire regimes, thus degrading ecosystem health. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

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

50 % Moderate
Production Forestry · Not Stated
MaximumOnly Active v1
— % Low
Production Forestry · Not Stated
OptimalRange Active v1