Resting Subtropical Grasslands from Grazing in the Wet Season Boosts Biocrust Hotspots to Improve Soil Health

Effective grazing management in Australia’s semi-arid rangelands requires monitoring landscape conditions and identifying sustainable productive practice through understanding the interactions of environmental factors soil health. Challenges include extreme rainfall variability, intensifying drought, inherently nutrient-poor soils. We investigated impacts strategies on function—specifically health—as foundation for pastures, integrating heterogenous nature grass tussocks interspaces that naturally exist between them. At Wambiana—a long-term research site north-eastern Australia—we studied two types, stocking rates (high, moderate), resting land from during wet seasons (rotational spelling). Rotational spelling had highest biocrust (living cover), under tussocks. Biocrusts were dominated by cyanobacteria binds particles, reduces erosion, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, improves fertility. with a moderate rate emerged as best at these sites, adjustment line type recommended. In drought-prone environments, presence integrity biocrusts connects function protect enrich will support ecosystem economic profitability cattle production rangelands.