Ground cover refers to the proportion of the soil surface protected from rainfall impact by living or dead plant material — green grass, dry standing grass, leaf litter, and mulch all count. Bare soil does not.
Why ground cover matters
Bare soil is vulnerable soil. A raindrop hitting unprotected soil at 30 km/h releases energy equivalent to a small explosion at the soil surface, disrupting aggregates, sealing pores, and initiating surface flow. Once water starts flowing across the surface instead of infiltrating, it accelerates rapidly, picking up silt and nutrients. Queensland rivers carry some of the highest sediment loads in the world — most of it from degraded grazing land.
Target ground cover levels
- Above 700 mm rainfall: minimum 70–80% throughout the dry season
- 500–700 mm: minimum 60–70%
- Below 500 mm: minimum 50% (accepting that sparse vegetation is natural in these landscapes)
Measuring ground cover on-ground
The point intercept method is the most repeatable on-ground technique:
- Lay a 50 m tape across a representative area of the paddock
- Every metre, record whether the point directly below is covered (any plant material) or bare
- Count covered points and express as a percentage of 50
- Repeat 3–5 transects per paddock and average
Remote sensing tools
Pastures from Space provides free satellite-derived ground cover data for Queensland properties at paddock scale. Access historical data to identify long-term trends. Data is available for download and can be compared to seasonal rainfall to identify whether ground cover decline is driven by drought or grazing management.