Natural Heritage - Number 30
The Journal of the Natural Heritage Trust
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia
Department of the Environment and Heritage, Summer 2006
ISSN 1440-7256
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About this document
Salt is essential to life. It is also a threat to agriculture, water resources and biodiversity. A national picture of salinity, taken by the National Land and Water Resources Audit in 2000, shows that all Australian States are significantly affected and vast areas can be potentially salinised.
The $1.4 billion National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality focuses on 21 priority regions. In each region, all existing salinity information has been pulled together to build a regional understanding of the causes of worsening salinity and the actions that can be taken to halt or reverse its effects.
We now have more than a decade of science-based modelling and salinity mapping, which has helped to explain how salt moves and where much of it is located. Through the National Action Plan, a $20 million community stream monitoring programme is continuing research throughout many regions to locate the key small areas to focus regional investment on salinity.
The task to repair the land is not just about salinity and water quality but involves the full range of land use, vegetation and soil issues that affect salinity and water quality. There is no one size fits all solution - different approaches are needed for different regions.
For example, in Western Australia, broad area salinity management techniques are needed such as the $64m strategic tree-farming initiative – the largest publicly-funded tree planting scheme in Australia.
Almost 25 million trees will be planted on farms to tackle salinity. So far, 100 landholders have helped to plant six million seedlings of Maritime Pine, Sandalwood and Eucalypt – hardy trees that lower water tables and reduce salinity.
The Natural Heritage Trust supports the fight against salinity by funding projects such as planting perennial grasses, encouraging sustainable farming practices and investing in better science and understanding at a local level.
To date, the Trust and National Action Plan have helped to revegetate around 60,000ha, surveyed over 8 million ha, treated 130,000ha for rising groundwater, improved irrigation practices across 19,300ha and constructed over 800km of surface and subsurface drainage.
Massive improvements to irrigated agriculture and reduced impacts on salinity are a clear demonstration of success by improving knowledge and modifying our approaches over many years. We are making advances on dryland salinity and broad-scale problems such as acidification.
Senator Ian Campbell
Australian Minister for the Environment and Heritage
Peter McGauran
Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
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