Gully Density

AUS-AIF-CON-GUL General Low confidence

Benchmark Value

0 m/ha
Direction: Lower is desirable ↓
Form: MaximumOnly

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is Point, 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

Point Primary UpperThreshold Guard MaximumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard MaximumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

The benchmark for Gully Density in a conservation land use context is a state of geomorphic stability characterized by the absence of active, accelerated gully erosion. This corresponds to a quantitative value of 0 m/ha.

Metric Definition:

Gully density, defined as the length of active gullies per unit area.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the ideal state of landscape stability in arid inland floodplains and ephemeral river systems under conservation management, defined by the absence of active gully erosion.

Justification:

The benchmark is based on scientific consensus that active gully erosion is a post-European settlement degradation phenomenon driven by land use, primarily reduction of ground cover, and that conservation management leads to gully stabilization and reduced sediment yield.

Sources (3)

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Grazing impacts on gully dynamics indicate approaches for gully erosion control in northeast Australia - The Australian National University GreyLiterature

Grazing impacts on gully dynamics indicate approaches for gully erosion control in northeast Australia - The Australian National University, accessed July 22, 2025

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Grazing impacts on gully dynamics indicate approaches for gully erosion control in northeast Australia - The Australian National University

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Supporting Sources (36)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

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(PDF) Australia's wetlands – learning from the past to manage for the future - ResearchGate, accessed July 22, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Protected and conserved areas: WWF's approach to inclusive, equitable and effective protected and conserved areas | Pages | WWF, accessed July 22, 2025

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(PDF) Morphology, hydrology and evolution of the anastomosing Ovens and King Rivers, Victoria, Australia - ResearchGate, accessed July 22, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

(PDF) Morphology, hydrology and evolution of the anastomosing Ovens and King Rivers, Victoria, Australia - ResearchGate, accessed July 22, 2025

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(PDF) Provisioning of bioavailable carbon between the wet and dry ...
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Chapter 13 Gully erosion and its control - Queensland Government publications, accessed August 12, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

The hydrogeomorphic influences on alluvial gully erosion along the Mitchell River fluvial megafan

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Gully Erosion | ECOllaboration

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Ecosystem Processes – Environmental Data Collection Methods - TERN Australia
Contextual Support Government

Ecosystem Processes – Environmental Data Collection Methods - TERN Australia, accessed July 17, 2025

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Environmental character and history of the Lake Eyre Basin, one seventh of the Australian continent - ResearchGate, accessed July 22, 2025
Contextual Support

Environmental character and history of the Lake Eyre Basin, one seventh of the Australian continent - ResearchGate, accessed July 22, 2025

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Preview of EROSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF VALLEY-BOTTOM GULLIES IN THE UPPER MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES - USDA ARS, accessed July 22, 2025
EROSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF VALLEY-BOTTOM GULLIES IN THE UPPER MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES - USDA ARS, accessed July 22, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Measuring ephemeral gully erosion rates and topographical thresholds in an urban watershed using unmanned aerial systems and structure from motion photogrammetric techniques - PubMed Central

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FLOODPLAIN WETLANDS AND WATERBIRDS OF THE CHANNEL COUNTRY - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 21, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Ecological roles and threats to aquatic refugia in arid landscapes: dryland river waterholes

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Groundcover - NSW Soil Knowledge Network, accessed July 22, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Groundcover - NSW Soil Knowledge Network, accessed July 22, 2025

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Preview of Gully density map of the study assessment area (kilometres... - ResearchGate, accessed August 1, 2025,
Gully density map of the study assessment area (kilometres... - ResearchGate, accessed August 1, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

(PDF) Gully erosion prediction across a large region ... - ResearchGate, accessed July 20, 2025

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Gully erosion - Enviro Data SA, accessed July 18, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Gully erosion - Enviro Data SA

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Lake Eyre - Wikipedia, accessed July 21, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

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Lake Eyre Basin Catchment Story – Overview - WetlandInfo, accessed July 18, 2025,
Contextual Support

Lake Eyre Basin Catchment Story – Overview - WetlandInfo, accessed July 18, 2025

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Preview of Landscapes of the Lake Eyre Basin: the catchment-scale context that creates fluvial diversity, accessed July 22, 2025
Landscapes of the Lake Eyre Basin: the catchment-scale context that creates fluvial diversity, accessed July 22, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Gully erosion prediction across a large region: MurrayDarling Basin, Australia

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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.

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Preventing and managing erosion | Environment, land and water | Queensland Government, accessed July 20, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

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Preview of Prioritising interventions for the reduction of erosion in classical gullies: a modelling study, accessed May 13, 2025
Prioritising interventions for the reduction of erosion in classical gullies: a modelling study, accessed May 13, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

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Program - CSIRO, accessed August 1, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Rehabilitation effects on gully sediment yields and vegetation in a savanna rangeland - CSIRO Research Publications Repository

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Contextual Support

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Contextual Support Journal

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Technical Specifications for the Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database Terrestrial CAPAD 2022 - DCCEEW, accessed July 22, 2025
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The morphology and formation of floodplain-surface channels, Cooper Creek, Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 22, 2025
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The relationships between land management practices and soil condition and the quality of ecosystem services delivered from agri - DAFF, accessed July 22, 2025,
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Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems
  • Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
  • Assessment Conservation Target
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 9 Jun 2026

Notes

Lower Critical Threshold: 0 m/ha. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always worse as any active gully erosion indicates degradation. The benchmark is inferred as the best available condition for conservation areas.