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REGIONAL AND REMOTE QUEENSLAND 
Professor David Phelps It's all about Mitchell Grass and the Rangelands August, 2025
QAAS Fellow Professor David Phelps is Director of the Tropical North Queensland Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (TNQ Hub), which is part of the Australian Future Drought Fund. David and the TNQ Drought Hub are based at James Cook University in Townsville and Cairns. However, it is clear from talking to David, that his heart lies in working with and researching the Mitchell Grass country of western Queensland. David explains that, what settlers named ‘Mitchell Grass country’ was discovered by them on the banks of the Darling River in the 1860s. David further explains that First Nations people have known of its existence for countless thousands of years. In fact. Professor David Phelps grew up on a remote farm on Mitchell Grass country in far western New South Wales. David explains that Mitchell Grass country is mostly known for its vast treeless plains and this grass holds its nutritional value right through the winter and prolonged dry periods. Another important feature of the mostly treeless Mitchell Grass country and vast western plains is that the reason for so little trees is that the naturally occurring heavy cracking clay soils tend to tear any tree roots apart, meaning any new tree species just do not survive. Any that might survive are then often destroyed by lightning caused fires.  Mitchell Grasslands (photo courtesy of the ABC) Much of Australia’s Mitchell Grass country lies across vast regions known as ‘Rangelands’. Professor Phelps recently co-organised the International Rangelands Congress, held in Adelaide, South Australia.. David explains that most of the world’s rangelands are synonymous with raising livestock (eg traditional Mongolian herders and African pastoralists and herders). A quick way of further describing the world’s rangelands is that there is no horticulture, no cropping, nor any land that has been substantially modified. Some key resolutions of the recent International Rangelands Congress included the need for improved national awareness of the importance of our rangelands, the need for greater advocacy for investment in knowledge and understanding of management needs in the world’s rangelands, and the need for greater integration of traditional knowledge with our scientific knowledge of rangelands management (the need for a ‘systems approach’). The 729 members of the Congress represented 46 nations who affirmed by a PROCLAMATION OF VALUES that they are representatives of the global rangeland and pastoralist community. “We are scientists, communicators, herders, pastoralists, natural area managers, decision makers and investors. We undertake to lead and contribute to global conversations to benefit the peoples, livelihoods, natural lands and waters, wildlife, livestock, cultural practices, and knowledge of the world’s rangelands”. For more information: Phelps, D., and Kelly, D. (2020) “A call for collaboration: linking local and non-local rangeland communities to build resilience” The Rangeland Journal 42(5) 265-275. https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ20048 Phelps, D, and Kelly, D (2018) “Overcoming drought vulnerability in rangeland communities: lessons from central-western Queensland” The Rangeland Journal 41(3) 251-270. https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ18052 Phelps, D.G., and Bosch, O.J.H. (2002) “A quantitative state and transition model for the Mitchell grasslands of central western Queensland” The Rangeland Journal 24(2) 242 - 267. Previous issues of Regional and Remote Queensland
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