tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22683438.post9149363021229425409..comments2023-10-24T18:37:43.368+11:00Comments on Carbon Coalition Against Global Warming: “Slash herd and flock numbers” says AGOUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22683438.post-82338167589160590072007-11-12T20:22:00.000+11:002007-11-12T20:22:00.000+11:00The AGO has published documents that canvass the o...The AGO has published documents that canvass the option of destocking all of the rangelands to reduce methane emissions. However it would be to strong an opinion to say that those documents 'recommended' destocking. The concern is that this option is an easy win for a government, at least of the lease hold land that covers almost all of the 'rangelands' in WA. The problem is that AGO does not really know what the net sequestration / emisssion rate is from diferent forms of grazing (or any other broad acre agriculture). They are using the tier 1 assumption in the National Carbon Accounts that assumes there is no change in soil carbon levels in agricultural soils in Australia.<BR/>We have evidence that changing from annual pastures to perennial pastures on poor sands north of Perth increases the carbon levels in the soil at a rate equiavelent to 5 to 10 t CO2 /ha/year. We are also increasing the stocking rate, and therefore the methane emissions with these perennials. But our calculations are that the extra green house gas from the extra stock is only about 10% of the increase in carbon stored in the soil (or wood + soil for tagasaste). i.e. net sequestration<BR/>Unfortunately the data is base on a limited number of soil samples and we need funds to do it more intensively to satisfy the sceptics. <BR/>I have extrapolated our findings from our limited number of sites to investigate the potential sequestration if we converted all the poorer sands in WA to perennials. This is extrapolation far beyond the data. But my figures suggest that the carbon sequestered would equal the current total net emissions from WA. i.e. we would make WA carbon neutral by converting our cleared sands to perennial pastures. <BR/>We also have data comparing traditional set stocking with a very intensive grazing rotation on range land in the Pilbara of WA (paired samples on either side of a boundary fence between the two systems). We found that the carbon levels in the top 10 cm of soil and the ground litter was higher under the intensive grazing despite there being about 10 times the amount of grazing days per hectare. Again we haven't had enough money to do the really detailed testing required. But it does suggest that a major change in grazing manangement could make the rangelands a very significant carbon sink with out having to scarifise the grazing industry (it fact it would become more economically viable).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com