Defining potential pathways for improving the resilience and sustainable development of rangeland grazing systems: Insights from northern Australia

Defining potential pathways for improving the resilience and sustainable development of rangeland grazing systems: Insights from northern Australia

The rangeland grazing industry, operating as a complex adaptive system, faces significant threats to its sustainability due to climate variability, market volatility, reactive decision-making, unsustainable land management practices, and inconsistent government policies. Effectively managing the industry requires a holistic approach to fully understand its constituent components and how they dynamically interact to influence the industry’s current and future behaviours. This study employs a systems thinking approach to identify effective intervention strategies for improving the industry’s resilience and sustainability, specifically in relation to rangeland cattle production across northern Australia. The findings highlight the importance of policy, land management practices, income diversification, climate-smart agricultural strategies, and the use of seasonal climate forecasts in strengthening the industry’s adaptive capacity. Achieving this requires a collaborative governance framework designed to encourage meaningful change among stakeholders. The conceptual model and associated system archetypes identified in this study can provide a common language to build consensus amongst decision-makers and fulfil this need. This study provides actionable insights for policymakers, rangeland managers, and industry stakeholders to foster a resilient and sustainable grazing industry. These findings not only provide valuable direction for reshaping adaptation policies in northern Australia, but also offer robust foundation for knowledge sharing and learning across global rangeland grazing industries facing similar challenges.