Rangelands Pastoral Program

Approximately 41% of South Australia is made up of Rangelands pastoral properties. The Rangelands are of important ecological significance and are home to many rare and endangered native species. They are also of great economic and cultural value.

Pastoral leases give pastoralists access to Crown land for the main purpose of raising livestock and developing related infrastructure. Pastoral leases also require that the land be managed sustainably to prevent further degradation and to, where possible, improve the condition of the land.

In South Australia there are 328 pastoral leases configured into 222 pastoral properties.

DEWNR administers the Pastoral Program, which provides technical and scientific support to the Pastoral Board. The Pastoral Board is responsible for issuing and administering pastoral leases in accordance with the Pastoral Land Management and Conservation Act 1989.

South Australia is recognised as having the most comprehensive and integrated program of resource inventory, resource condition assessment, range monitoring and lease inspection of any of the Australian states and the Northern Territory. Pastoral properties are monitored for compliance with lease conditions every two to five years.

A program of lease assessments are carried out on a 14 year cycle that allows for ongoing lease extension based on an assessment of land condition. Lease assessments work in conjunction with the shorter term inspections and using consistent methodology.

The Pastoral Program is also responsible for facilitating public access to pastoral lands. There are currently 24 Public Access Routes (120kb pdf) (PARs), spanning more than 650 kilometres, established on pastoral leases in South Australia.