Dung beetles prove that climate-smart agriculture doesn’t always require new technology—sometimes it’s just a matter of partnering with nature.
On many Australian farms, climate-smart agriculture isn’t happening in laboratories or control rooms—it’s happening just below the soil surface. Dung beetles are quietly reshaping farmland by restoring natural processes that support healthier soils, productive pastures and more resilient grazing systems.
Before dung beetles became established, cattle dung often lingered on paddocks, fouling pasture and locking away valuable
nutrients. Today, dung beetles act as nature’s clean up crew. They bury dung into the soil, returning nutrients to plant roots, improving soil structure and kick starting natural fertilisation. For Landcare groups working to rebuild soil health, this is a powerful example of working with nature. From a sustainable agriculture perspective, the benefits stack up. As dung beetles tunnel through soil, they improve water infiltration and reduce runoff. This helps farms cope with increasingly intense rainfall events while retaining moisture during dry periods. Better soil structure also encourages deeper plant root growth and more resilient pastures—key priorities under the Natural Heritage Trust, which has a focus on sustainable farming and land management.
Dung beetles also reduce reliance on chemical inputs. By breaking fly and parasite breeding cycles, they help lower the
need for insecticides and livestock treatments. This supports cleaner production systems, healthier waterways and improved biodiversity outcomes.
Supporting these observations from the field, Tom O’Malley—featured in the video and serving as Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator for Cradle Coast NRM, Tasmania—highlights how dung beetles physically enhance paddocks from the ground up:
“The benefits they bring to soil structure, such as reducing soil compaction and allowing greater water infiltration, are facilitated by the tunnels they create.”
Most importantly, dung beetles show how small biological systems can deliver big, practical wins. They boost productivity, protect soils and strengthen farm resilience, all while cutting costs and environmental impact.
Read the May 2026 edition of Landcare In Focus Magazine here.