Pastoralism is the single largest land use in Western Australia, with 35% of the State’s land area used for grazing purposes. Pastoral land use has created a number of environmental problems – chiefly land degradation and damage to biodiversity. The range lands of Western Australia, as they are known, are also under increasing environmental pressure from mining, resource development, intensive agriculture and tourism.

This fact sheet explains the laws relating to the sustainable management of pastoral leases and identifies the bodies responsible for administration and enforcement. See also Fact Sheet: Clearing native vegetation, Fact Sheet: Crown land management and Fact Sheet: Land degradation