REHABILITATION OF SEMIARID LANDSCAPES IN AUSTRALIA .1. RESTORING PRODUCTIVE SOIL PATCHES

A rehabilitation procedure designed to reestablish resource control pr ocesses in a degraded Acacia aneura woodland was successful in improvi ng soil nitrogen and carbon content, exchange properties, and water in filtration rates. Soil respiration rates and soil fauna populations in creased, and soil temperatures were moderated. The procedure comprised laying piles of branches in patches on the contour of bare, gently sl oping landscapes, with the expectation that soil, water, and litter wo uld accumulate in these branch piles, thus improving the soil habitat and its productive potential. The procedure was derived from landscape function analysis, indicating that surface water flow was the princip al means of resource transfer in these landscapes, Under degradation s uch overland flow results in a loss of resources. This rehabilitation procedure reversed loss processes, resulting in gains in the productiv e potential of soils within patches. This procedure was successful des pite grazing pressure being maintained throughout the experiment.