Below are some of the ways the catchment and landholders benefit from strategic fencing. Sometime we can help with this if it fits into a current project so please contact us.
Contribute to holistic farm management.
Stock management: Fences prevent stock from straying from one farm to another, help farm monitor stock health, and help to manage stock breeding. They also make moving stock easy with little labour, and create laneways, yards and races for handling stock with as less stress as possible.
Land and pasture management: With more and smaller paddocks created by fencing, stocking can be more intensive. Paddocks can also be spelled to build up a feed supply. Fencing forces stock to graze a wider range of plants, and allows the plants to recover after grazing. This uses the pastures better, and prevents them from becoming overgrazed or too high. Fencing based on soil type/fertilizer requirement can also enable smarter and easier management for cost-efficiency and environmental health of the catchment.
Crop, stock and land protection: Fences protect crops from pests such as rabbits. They keep stock off waterlog-prone country in winter and isolate unhealthy land such as salinity-affected. Areas that are dangerous for stock are separated off. Plantations, native bush, shelter belts and waterways are also protected.
Facilitate natural environments movement process Wildlife corridors are connections across the landscape that link up areas of habitat/vegetation. They support natural processes that occur in a healthy environment, including the movement of species to find resources, such as food and water. These corridors can contribute to the resilience of the landscape in a changing climate and help to reduce future greenhouse gas emissions by storing carbon in native vegetation. They can also support multiple land uses such as conservation, farming and forestry. It's important that these corridors are protected from stock so they aren't over grazed and trampled so this natural process can occur.
Protects sensitive areas Fence building around water sources and reservoirs limit access. Water catchment areas provide water that flows into the rivers for use in the environment, homes, farms, and industries. Unauthorised or uncontrolled access to these areas can contaminate the water and cause harmful effects to those who consume it.
Reduces soil erosion Fence building can help reduce erosion of the top soil by blowing wind. The fences break the speed of the wind which means the top soil is not swept away. Fences also help reduce the speed of flood water that can cause serious effects on the environment by sweeping away the delicate top soil. By reducing human and animal traffic, the fences help the soil remain well management, and therefore not easy to be blown away.
Reduces pollution The wind blows papers, leaves, and other light materials which are then deposited in other places. Fence building can help reduce the dispersal of such materials because it reduces the speed of the wind. When the pollutants remain in one place, it is easy to collect and dispose them off easily.
Download Western Australia Governments Waterway Fencing Guide below: