STATE AND TRANSITION MODELS FOR RANGELANDS .4. APPLICATION OF STATE AND TRANSITION MODELS TO RANGELANDS IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA

Historically, there has been no widely used or accepted system for ass essing the condition of rangelands in northern Australia. Consequently , there is a generally poor understanding of vegetation change and its consequences for longterm productivity and stability in the northern Australian pastoral industry. The state and transition approach to und erstanding vegetation dynamics has recently been put to use in the nor thern rangelands as a communication tool and for identifying gaps in k nowledge in research. State and transition models are also being used in an integrated computer-based system to assess the spatial variabili ty in the condition of grazing lands and then to evaluate the implicat ions (environmental and economic) of the outcomes of alternative manag ement scenarios. If state and transition models are to be used more ef fectively in the management of extensive grazing lands, the question o f paddock heterogeneity and uneven grazing distribution needs to be ad dressed.