Past Projects

The Gascoyne Community Cultivating Landscape Knowledge Together project supported pastoralists and community members to build practical, locally relevant knowledge about landscape function, plant succession, soil health, water movement and sustainable land management across the rangelands.

Delivered through producer focused workshops, demonstrations and a presentation at the 2025 GPRI Annual Pastoral Forum, the project created opportunities for land managers to better understand what their landscapes are showing them and how that information can support day to day pastoral decision making. The project was supported by funding from the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program through the Community Stewardship Grants program, with the approved project running from June 2025 to June 2026.

The project built on GPRI’s broader focus of supporting practical, producer driven projects that strengthen pastoral businesses and support healthy, resilient rangelands across the region. GPRI’s project approach is centred on work that is grounded in local experience, supported by sound science and designed to improve landscape condition, business capability and long term resilience.

Across the project, producers explored the links between plants, soil, grazing pressure, water movement and landscape recovery. A key focus was helping participants recognise regional plant species and understand the role they play in landscape health, including recovery species, indicators of degraded land systems and key species that contribute to whole of landscape function. The project also helped build understanding of how soil condition, ground cover, plant diversity and rainfall response influence both ecological resilience and pastoral productivity.

Specialist input from Richard Marver of Contour Consulting helped connect technical landscape knowledge with practical station level examples. Sessions explored how landscapes show trends, signals and stages of succession that can guide restoration, grazing decisions and long term monitoring. Participants were encouraged to look more closely at plant response, soil surface condition, ground cover, erosion risk and the way water moves through the landscape.

The project was delivered across several key activities, including a producer workshop in September 2025, a presentation as part of the Landscape and Animals session at the November 2025 Annual Pastoral Forum and two practical workshops held across different locations in June 2026. Together, these activities gave producers repeated opportunities to hear the project messages, ask questions, compare local experiences and consider how the information could be applied on their own properties.

The project also aligned strongly with GPRI’s Rangelands Monitoring Tool, which provides pastoralists with a practical and repeatable way to assess and track landscape condition over time. The RMT brings together ground observation, species assessment and soil condition indicators to help land managers understand how country is responding to grazing pressure, seasonal conditions and management decisions.

A significant outcome of the project was the shift in conversation around landscape recovery. Rather than viewing land condition as separate from livestock production, producers explored how animal management, grazing timing, rest, ground cover, soil stability and plant succession are all connected. The project also encouraged discussion around the role that less desirable or unpalatable plants can sometimes play in early recovery, particularly where they help stabilise soil, provide cover, trap seed and slow water movement.

The timing of the project made these conversations especially relevant. The September 2025 workshop was delivered during a dry period, giving participants an immediate and practical context for discussing landscape condition and management decisions through challenging seasonal conditions. Following Tropical Cyclone Narelle in March 2026, the later workshops also provided an opportunity to reflect on water movement, erosion risk, ground cover and landscape function after an extreme weather event.

Engagement with the project was strong. The Landscape and Animals session at the 2025 Forum received an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 from 24 responses, while the Cultivating Landscape Knowledge presentation scored 7.7 out of 10 as a favourite presentation. Feedback showed that producers valued the practical, locally relevant nature of the information and the opportunity to discuss real examples from across the pastoral region.

Overall, the project improved producer awareness, confidence and discussion around landscape stewardship. It helped land managers strengthen their understanding of what to look for in their landscapes, how management decisions influence recovery and resilience, and why monitoring change over time is valuable for both land condition and pastoral business decision making.

The knowledge and resources developed through the project will continue to support GPRI’s future workshops, field days, producer updates and online resources. By keeping these conversations active, GPRI will continue supporting pastoralists to build stronger landscapes, stronger businesses and more resilient regional communities.

The project is supported by funding from the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program, through the Community Stewardship Grants program.