Restoring Degraded Ecosystems
Warrawagine Station
Lead: Mandy Gould
Region: East Pilbara
Hectares: 629,920
Environment of site: Friable outflow wash plain consisting of gilgai cracking clays, with spinifex and buffel grass creek lines on flood plains.
Challenge Identified: Restoring historically degraded areas of the station ecosystem to a healthy, productive state.
Status: Ongoing within Warrawagine Station, phase one of remediation is complete.
Approach
The outflow wash plain is bounded by rises on most sides, except for the Oakover River that it feeds into. It’s a high-risk area for degradation due to the amount of rainfall that gathers on the elevated sides and then flows as sheet wash across the plain. It’s also a high-potential area for a positive flow-on effect downstream in the Oakover River system, making it an ideal choice for the region and the station.
Historically, this area was stocked with sheep, with poor government policy demanding high stocking rates, followed by mining that removed timber for infrastructure. Couple that with a thriving sandalwood market, and it is easy to see why these gilgai-cracking clays ended up as a denuded area that turns from bulldust to a sucking quagmire with minimal rainfall.
Understanding which remediation techniques have been employed before, and how they worked, or didn’t, informs the choices for restoration. Warrawagine firmly believes that understanding the past is part of how we move forward in restoring balance to the ecosystem and unlocking the full potential of the land.
Research the history of the Braeside area to understand the original environment, and the processes that altered it.
Understand the previous remediation techniques that have not brought the area back to a healthy state. These were; deep ripping and graded contours. The thinking is that these techniques alone are not enough of a helping hand to allow nature to gain and maintain a foot-hold here.
Analyse how the weather patterns exacerbate the current degradation, and reduce the efficacy of remediation attempts. Mitigating wind and water erosion, flooding, and fire effects are part of the solution to allowing the restoration process to build a cumulative effect.
Undertake soil and tissue samples from the area to understand what the baseline for the ecosystem health is.
Continue monitoring the site using long-standing monitoring sites and the GCG monitoring tool.
Install a perimeter fence to provide the vegetation and soil structure with a buffer zone from cattle and native animals.
Install a combination of bunds, sieves, slow-flow wiers, buffer zones, and windbreaks in conjunction with expert knowledge for placement, species types, and overall design.
Utilise controlled high stocking rate grazing periods alongside bale grazing to keep the vegetation that is established or establishing maintained without negative impact. This requires close monitoring when undertaken. The high-density stocking rate also provides a boost in animal waste for the area.
Key Insights
1
Understanding the landscape, in terms of soil, waterflow, and plants, that you are working with and the desired outcomes before you start can help the project move forward smoothly.
2
Having support from PEN to find people with the skills and knowledge to move this project forward has been invaluable.
3
The past informs our choices by showing what has had a negative, nil, or positive impact.
4
Collecting data leading up to starting your project via photos, rainfall logs, stock records, and, if possible, a ground cover analysis incorporating seasonal variability can be a massive help.
Impact & Results
Check back here for updates as we monitor this site over the next few decades. We’ve definitely bitten off a long-term project, but we’re looking forward to the effects.
What we’ve discovered so far:
- When it does rain, the established and establishing vegetation species are thriving. This is boosting our optimism for the future.
- In 2025, we installed the perimeter fence and put the first of the old hay out as a buffer against wind and water damage.
- We chose 2025 as a full rest season with plans for 2026 to be the first trial of a short intensive hay bale grazing program.
- It was suggested to trial a season without more earthworks or livestock in the area to gain a baseline in terms of the natural response potential.
- We are looking forward to the March 2026 monitoring photos to see how the landscape has changed and if we need to intervene with earthworks.
We have produced a pamphlet outlining the steps for restoring an area like this, including a simple decision tree. The best part? They fit in your top pocket and the glovebox of any station vehicle. If you’d like a copy for your business, we’d love to hear from you!
