Authors / CoAuthors
Dumsday, R.G. | Pegler, R. | Oram, D.A.
Abstract
In the Murray-Darling Basin, agricultural production (from cropland and irrigated agriculture) foregone through land degradation is estimated at $214.6 million/year. Clearing and the replacement of deep-rooted native vegetation by shallow-rooted annuals have been identified as major causes of increased groundwater recharge and land and water degradation. Improved vegetation management and revegetation of degraded and degrading lands will lead to significant improvements in surface water quality. Proposed actions under the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council Draft Vegetation Management Strategy include clearing and development controls, management of degraded and degrading lands, assistance and incentive measures, and improved community awareness and education. Recharge strategies (preventative measures aimed at reducing deep percolation to the groundwater over large areas of land, by the increased and more efficient use of soil water supplied by rainfall) include reforestation and agroforestry, agronomic and engineering strategies. Economic benefits of agroforestry are frequently overestimated. Current arrangements for marketing commercial timber, setting prices, and levying taxes discourage private tree plantings, as do a lack of labour and management skills, the relative profitability of alternatives, and availability of capital. Though there are apparent benefits from forestry-based activities, which simultaneously control groundwater levels and dryland salinity, farmers need incentives to move to forestry-based systems. Most research predicts a net social gain from reduction in salinity problems, but the importance of water yield has been neglected. The importance of model specification to the selection of appropriate land use is also emphasised. It is concluded that broadscale revegetation using tree-based systems is not economic or practical as a groundwater and salinity management tool but should be evaluated in terms of local conditions. In addition, vegetation management should be more widely interpreted to include all vegetation which may be used to control groundwater and salinity.
Product Type
document
eCat Id
81252
Contact for the resource
Custodian
Owner
Custodian
Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
ACT
2601
Australia
Keywords
-
- GA PublicationJournal
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
-
- Earth Sciences
-
- Published_External
Publication Date
1989-01-01T00:00:00
Creation Date
Security Constraints
Legal Constraints
Status
Purpose
Maintenance Information
unknown
Topic Category
geoscientificInformation
Series Information
BMR Journal of Australian Geology and Geophysics 11:2-3:209-218
Lineage
Unknown
Parent Information
Extents
Reference System
Spatial Resolution
Service Information
Associations
Source Information
Source data not available.