Conserving Biodiversity in Brigalow Regrowth - School of ...

Between the Wars
After WWI, development of the southern Brigalow
Belt progressed slowly, due largely to the resilient
nature of the plant and the lack of technology to deal
with its defences.
Between 1880 and 1934, the southern Brigalow Belt
was invaded by prickly pear (Opuntia species).
The successful control of prickly pear in the early
1930s meant that development of brigalow lands
began again. At first, development was relatively
slow due to a lack of mechanisation.
8
The settlers were a hardy lot and by the outbreak of
WWII large blocks of brigalow in southern districts
like Tara had been cleared by axe, burning and
intensive sheep grazing.
Broad-scale clearing
Following WWII, technological change increased the
pace of brigalow development.
One famous land clearing contractor, Joh Bjelke-
Peterson – later Premier of Queensland – pioneered
a technique for quickly clearing scrub by connecting
a heavy anchor chain between two bulldozers.
Mechanised clearing soon became a common
practice and by 1954 the most determined efforts to
clear brigalow woodlands began.
In the eight years between 1953 and 1961, 1 million
ha were cleared at a rate of 120,000 ha per year.
In 1962, The Brigalow and Other Lands Development
Act was passed. Under the Brigalow Development
Scheme, approximately 2 million ha was allocated
in the Bauhinia, Taroom and Duaringa districts, with
a further 2.4 million ha in the Brigalow Belt North.
Properties were to be large enough to stock 1,000
cattle. State and Commonwealth governments
provided loans of up to $60,000 for settlers to cover
development costs, plus paying for the construction
of 1,200 km of development roads.
By the 1970s, most of the brigalow scrub had
disappeared. Vast areas of sucker regrowth were
controlled by aerial spraying with 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D,
burning and mechanical means, in preparation for
improved pastures and cropping.
Sheep numbers declined markedly matched by a rise
in cattle numbers and the area under crops.
The rise in cropping was linked to a severe decline in
cattle prices in the 1970s and to the more effective
control of Brigalow regrowth using blade ploughing,
whereby the roots were cut off under the soil.
Lynelle, Amy, Jemma & Warren Urquhart on Warrowa
Warrowa
Warren and Lynelle Urquhart, owners of Warrowa, 26 km
west of Moonie, believe in the values of biodiversity and try to
manage their cropping and cattle grazing for both economic
and environmental long term sustainability.
What is now “Warrowa” (3,600 ha) was part of “Ulupna”
(29,000 acres), a prickly pear ballot that was drawn in 1934 by
Archibald Telford and worked by him and his brother, George.
In 1945 George took up Warrowa as his own and set about
developing the property integrating native brigalow vegetation
retention (both remnant and regrowth) mostly as shade lines
around each paddock, which was continued by the Urquharts
when they took over in 2000.
“About 20% of Warrowa is retained as both remnant and
regrowth brigalow mostly in shade lines that border each
paddock, creating corridors that stretch throughout the length
& breadth of the property. Another 15% of Warrowa is mixed
eucalypt woodland on a ridge of red, sandy loam running
through the property. We see these wooded areas as valuable
assets for stock sheltering from temperature extremes,
for wind breaks for crops and pastures and reduction in
evapotranspiration of soil moisture, reducing drainage below
pasture root zones to keep salt levels where they should be, as
well as important habitat for native flora and fauna.
We know that the fauna (e.g., crows, bats, and other insect
eaters) play an important role in pest minimisation in our crops
and pastures. Often there can be flocks of 200 crows behind
the tractor devouring all the mice and grubs they can!
We realise that the shade lines could theoretically be razed to
increase the area of crops or pasture grown now, which would
increase short term cash flow, but we believe that this practice
would be detrimental to the long term health of this land and
therefore also to the economic sustainability of farming here.
It’s important to allot real value to the natural environment.
Just because humans aren’t using it for a direct and immediate
financial benefit at present, doesn’t mean it is “wasted”.
We’re planning for the long term health and sustainability of
Warrowa, which isn’t just ours or our children’s tenure on the
land, but hopefully for many, many generations. We need to
make sure we can feed people into the future so we try to run
our farm business in an economically and environmentally
balanced way.”
Warren & Lynelle Urquhart, January 2011