@article{Wang:171145,
      recid = {171145},
      author = {Wang, King Min},
      title = {Grazing Management and Rehabilitation of Degraded  Rangeland in Western Australia},
      address = {1995-02},
      number = {406-2016-25232},
      pages = {29},
      year = {1995},
      abstract = {Rangeland in the arid zone of Western Australia has been  degraded by sheep overstocking since the turn of the  century. The Strategies available for restoring the  productivity of such degraded rangelands are limited. In  this paper optimal economic policies with respect to the  choice of stocking rates and grazing patterns were derived  for various starting states under a stochastic optimal  control framework. Evaluation of these optimal policies was  carries out by comparing their long run economic and  ecological impacts on grassland with ungrazed conditions.  All optimal policies call for a stnttegy of set stocking or  destocking only.
Rotational grazing is not economically  viable at the specified cost levels.
Optimal stocking rate  increases with the level of forage biomass and adult  plants,
but decreases with the level of either young or old  seedlings at the degraded
nmge condition. The results  indicate that under the criterion of maximisation of
the  long run average return, for slightly degraded range,  rehabilitation through
grazing management alone is  possible. For· range which is modcrntely to  severely
degraded, rehabilitation to fair or good condition  is not technically practical.
On the other hand, under the  criterion of maximisation of the net present value
at a  discount rate of 6 percent, the consequence of the long run  impact on the
range resource following the optimal policy  is ecologically unsustainable, though
economically viable.  These findings suggest that if degraded ranges continue  to
be exploited for private profit, the range rcsom·ce may  be driven beyond its
capability to renew. If ecological  sustainability is an Australinn social norm,
economic  rationality should subside in the decision criterion, and  range
management will require some willingness to forego  short term profits for the
sake of long term rewards or  investment in regeneration measures.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/171145},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.171145},
}