IN PICTURES: The launch of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists at 2025 Perth Royal Show

Politicians and pastoralists alike ushered in the announcement and launch of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists at the 2025 Perth Royal Show. The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists aims to raise awareness and advocate for the value of the health and sustainability of rangelands and pastoralism — and the advocacy of building further capacity in the responsible investment in the pastoral livestock industry. The United Nations declared 2026 as the international year in 2022 to highlight the vital role of healthy rangelands globally. Challa Station owner operator and IYRP committee member Debbie Dowden said the launch at the royal show reflected the contributions of pastoralists in WA to sustainable land management, protecting ecological values, and supporting regional livelihoods. She hopes the launch will inspire grassroot, pastoralist-accessible events around the country. “This launch marks the start of a year that will celebrate and elevate the people, knowledge, and landscapes at the heart of our nation’s rangelands,” she said. More than 85 per cent of WA’s landmass consists of rangelands and stretches about 2.2 million square kilometres across the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Murchison, Goldfields, and the Nullabor — an area larger than the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy combined. Ms Dowden was joined by WA Agricultural Minister Jackie Jarvis, Federal Opposition leader Sussan Ley, Durack MP Melissa Price, Australian Rangelands Society president Pieter Conradie, International Rangeland Congress continuing committee president Dana Kelly, and Yambangku Aboriginal Culture Heritage and Tourism Development managing director Suzanne Thompson, at the launch’s keynote.