Solutions to the problem of dryland salinity in Queensland

The Department of Natural Resources and Mines is inviting input from existing community groups, as well as local governments, industry representatives, and the community so that regional cooperative arrangements can be developed at a local level.

Drawing on existing sustainable land and water use initiatives, regional plans will include the key components of:

• clarification and determination of targets for salinity, water quality and water flows;
• provision of scientific and economic bases for targets, e.g. ultrasound salinity mapping and assessment of catchment conditions;
• prioritisation of actions to improve natural resource condition and adoption of sustainable management practices; and
• planned investment for implementation.

The Queensland Government will assist in the provision of expert scientific and technical advice as well as information on engineering innovations and ensure that each group has appropriate representation.

My Department has already completed a series of workshops in collaboration with the Department of Primary Industries and the Environmental Protection Agency to support the National Action Plan, giving local communities a state-wide overview of salinity and water quality issues, with an update of regional scale information and current and future science priorities.

Work carried out under the National Action Plan will build on existing sustainability initiatives and work already done in communities to improve the state of health of our natural resources and to ensure their sustainable use.

Dryland salinity occurs when over-clearing of vegetation causes the water table to rise, bringing to the surface salts that previously lay deep in the earth.

There are many techniques to investigate salinity such as testing conductivity and airborne geophysics.

The National Action Plan on Salinity and Water Quality is the impetus for wider use of these and other techniques to determine the cause of salinity and take appropriate remedial action at catchment level.

Today, there is greater understanding and acceptance of the need to change those practices that have the potential to cause dryland salinity.

The challenge for governments and the community now is to come up with new models for achieving long-term environmental sustainability and economic security by building on the knowledge, skills and technology that currently exist and continuing to foster partnerships involving government, industry and the community.