The Waite-Nicolson rangeland management method for semi-arid chenopod shrublands predicts that smaller paddocks with medium to moderate stocking rates help to preserve the native vegetation. Vegetation cover around waterpoints in three small paddocks (2000 ha) from Middleback Station, South Australia was studied using multivariate analysis. Data from quadrats sampled along radiating transects were tested for correlations with a number of site features and grazing history factors. Two significant associations were detected: quadrats with an abundance of Rhagodia parabolica and less palatable species such as Maireana pyramidata, and Atriplex stipitata were correlated positively with proximity to water points, paddock age and stocking rate, and negatively with paddock size. In contrast, quadrats with species such as Rhagodia ulicina and the more palatable M. sedifolia were correlated with increasing distance from the water points and paddock size, but negatively with age and stocking rates. Keywords: chenopod, rangeland, grazing, piosphere, semi-arid zone, waterpoint, biodiversity.