Land management: Saltwater couch pastures are attractive to cattle and generally resilient with low susceptibility to erosion; however control of grazing pressure is required. Image of saline plains (unit 1) of which Roebuck land system consists of about 60%, which support salt water couch (Sporobolus virginicus) grasslands with occasional low shrubs of samphire (Tecticornia spp.). Photo: DAFWA Stylised plan diagram showing arrangement of land units for the Roebuck land system (numbers on diagram represent land units in table below) Table of Roebuck land system land units. * Numbers in brackets refer to soil family – or vegetation community/alliance in on lands of the West Kimberley ‘General report area, (Speck et al. 1970); + Pasture types described in Appendix 1; Note: WA’ Proportions and occurrence of pasture types within land units are subject to change over time due to invasion by native and introduced species, seasonal conditions, fire frequency and grazing management. Approx. Pasture Unit area Landforms Soils* Vegetation* type+ (%) Plains: up to 26km in extent; sandy, Salt water couch shell-strewn slopes, grassland, locally less than 0.1% but Salt flat soils degraded. 1 56 MACP attaining 0.5% at (25). Sporobolus lower margin and virginicus 1% at landward community (64). margin. up Samphire flats: Brownish to 3.2km in extent and greyish, Halophytic with slopes less calcareous, shrubland. 2 13 SMPP than 0.3%; margins saline loams Samphire up to 20 cm above and clays community (66). mud flats. (26, 27). Mud flats: up to 1.6km wide with slopes less than Dark saline 3 5 Mostly bare mud. XXNP 0.3%; sealed, muds (28). cracking surfaces with micro relief. Slopes at lower margins of mud Dark saline Low mangrove 4 4 XXNP flats: up to 0.3% muds (28). community (46). and 275m long. 5 4 XXNP Outer flats: up to Dark saline Medium-height and
Land management: Saltwater couch pastures are attractive to cattle and generally resilient with low susceptibility to erosion; however control of grazing pressure is required. Image of saline plains (unit 1) of which Roebuck land system consists of about 60%, which support salt water couch (Sporobolus virginicus) grasslands with occasional low shrubs of samphire (Tecticornia spp.). Photo: DAFWA Stylised plan diagram showing arrangement of land units for the Roebuck land system (numbers on diagram represent land units in table below) Table of Roebuck land system – land units. * Numbers in brackets refer to soil family or vegetation community/alliance in ‘General report on lands of the West Kimberley area, WA’ (Speck et al. 1970); + Pasture types described in Appendix 1; Note: Proportions and occurrence of pasture types within land units are subject to change over time due to invasion by native and introduced species, seasonal conditions, fire frequency and grazing management. Unit Approx. area (%) Landforms Soils* Vegetation* Pasture type+ 1 56 Plains: up to 26km in extent; sandy, shell-strewn slopes, less than 0.1% but attaining 0.5% at lower margin and 1% at landward margin. Salt flat soils (25). Salt water couch grassland, locally degraded. Sporobolus virginicus community (64). MACP 2 13 Samphire flats: up to 3.2km in extent with slopes less than 0.3%; margins up to 20 cm above mud flats. Brownish and greyish, calcareous, saline loams and clays (26, 27). Halophytic shrubland. Samphire community (66). SMPP 3 5 Mud flats: up to 1.6km wide with slopes less than 0.3%; sealed, cracking surfaces with micro relief. Dark saline muds (28). Mostly bare mud. XXNP 4 4 Slopes at lower margins of mud flats: up to 0.3% and 275m long. Dark saline muds (28). Low mangrove community (46). XXNP 5 4 Outer flats: up to Dark saline Medium-height and XXNP