The Department of Agriculture and Food's Department of Natural Resource Management comprises approximately 150 staff located from Kununurra in the north of the country to Esperance in the south-east. A working group was formed, which included representatives from each region and part of the Division.
Concurrent session presentations from staff
Long-term monitoring shows that integrated farm forestry has little impact on salinity
Regression analysis was undertaken between the proportions of the vegetated catchment (PV) and the average change in water tables both within the revegetated area and within the adjacent, untreated (downslope discharge) area. Visual assessment of salinity extent further downslope at the confluence with the next, adjacent catchment showed no reduction attributable to revegetation at any site.
Adoption of saltland pastures: a case study of the SGSL WA Producer Network
It is clear that strong relationships have developed between members of the SGSL team and most of the host farmers interviewed. In general, the SGSL WA producer network has a positive impact on acceptance and/or the decision-making capacity of the host farmers interviewed.
Latest developments in accessing and using DAFWA land resource mapping data
We are beginning to build a better picture of these implications for industry, community and the environment. We are now working on a major crop industry project (LOOP - Lupins Oilseeds Oats and Pulses) linking information about our soils to APSIM (Agricultural Production Simulator).
Rangeland assessment
Of the 288 stations where these comparisons can be made, there was a positive change in overall range condition with 20 indicating a large positive change, 44 indicating a moderate positive change and 60 indicating a small positive change. In the southern pasture, the focus is on sustainable productivity through better understanding and management of the fragile resource to achieve both production and range condition improvement.
The agroforestry challenge: dollars and the environment
The importance of economics in the adoption of afforestation is well illustrated in the rapid development of the plantation forestry industry in WA. In the late 1980s, DAFWA worked with the then Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) to investigate the benefits of incorporating blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) strips and blocks into agricultural land.
Assisting farmers adapting to salinity - integrating engineering and agronomy in the South West
EC1:5 values ranged from 5 to 430 mS/m in the topsoil, confirming the variability in the EM maps. The salinity of the soil (EC1:5 and ECa) strongly influenced the composition, with higher salinity generally corresponding to more barley grass and samphire in the sward. FOO levels in Paddock 2's undergrowth were double those in Paddock 1, consistent with low salinity.
Waveleaf saltbush tended to be the dominant component of the shrub biomass, typically around 80% of total FOO (Table 3).
Bioengineering actions of native plants on soil profiles in semi-arid ecosystems of the South West Botanical Province*
Biotechnical Actions of Native Plants on Soil Profiles in Semi-Arid Ecosystems of the South-West Botanical Province*. Larger roots of eucalypts and other species cross the hollow, some roots being enclosed for part of their length by columnar material. Lateral roots (R) of a cohabiting species. Conothamnus aureus) lie over, penetrate into or down between columns;.
Merging biodiversity and production in the Southern Rangelands - Ecologically Sustainable Rangelands Management (ESRM)
Adjusting the number of animals and other mouths to the amount of food available, so that plants can survive, reproduce and fulfill their role in the system. Once these tools are embedded in the program, with proper planning and consultation, it will be effective in another region. We cannot afford to lose project momentum in WA's rangelands or miss this opportunity through ESRM to shift significantly short term, uncoordinated and unsustainable.
It seems that unless there is a significant shift in the next 5-10 years, there could be some opportunities that exist now to improve the condition of pastures and the viability of rural businesses on a large scale.
Resource condition monitoring and analysis of long-term groundwater trends
This was most pronounced in the Northern Region (up to 18%), and gradually decreased towards the eastern South Coast where the pre- and post-2000 figure was unchanged (71-72%). In the Central Region the fall rates were less (-0.2 m/yr) and only two were observed where water tables were >10 m. In the South West and western South Coast, the extent of falls was again lower (<-0.1 m/yr), and only observed at <5 m water table depths.
In contrast, the trends in the eastern South Coast remained the same before and after 2000: upward (>0.2 m/yr) or stable.
Supporting adoption of perennial pastures in the south west low to medium rainfall zone
Barriers and drivers to adoption are a mix of personal, social, economic and technical factors that translate into willingness and ability to adopt. High establishment costs (including the opportunity cost of production and foregone seed) and the need for additional labor in a tight market were compelling barriers to adoption. Technical factors such as access to reliable agronomic knowledge and establishment and management recipes, seed availability and access to machinery, present significant barriers to adoption.
Understanding the barriers and drivers to adoption is essential in order to increase the adoption of any (perceived) complex system.
Planning for impact in catchments: Beyond incentives to technology development
Consultation with them is already enabling stronger focus (eg the Bremer Basin Management Group is developing a 'hotspot focus' in consultation with DAFWA specialists). Whole landscape risk analysis for catchment assets is needed to promote the integration of themes (Simons J.). Petersen EH (2005) Multi-criteria analysis of sustainable land management priorities for the WA South Coast.
Petersen E, Read V, Evans I, Grieve R (2008) Draft sustainability indicators for the Southern Agricultural Region, South Coast NRM Inc.
The role of land resource information in achieving sustainable land use*
Mission impossible: ‘precision pastoralism’ for sustainable profits
Brennan GA, Milton JTB, Norton BE, Krebs GL (2006) Rumen ecology driving productivity and landscape ecology in the scrublands of the Western Australian rangeland. Conference Papers of the 14th Biennial Conference of the Australian Rangeland Society: The Cutting Edge' (Ed. P Erkelenz), pp. Freudenberger D, Wilson A, Palmer R (1999 ) The effect of perennial grasses, stocking rate and rainfall on sheep production in a semi-arid woodland of eastern Australia.
Ludwig JA, Bradford BP, Breshears DD, Tongway, DJ, Imeson AC (2005) Vegetation patches and runoff erosion as interacting ecohydrological processes in semiarid landscapes.
Groundwater responds by declining in a drier climate in the Northern Agricultural Region
In sedimentary profiles, seasonal fluctuations of groundwater are generally dampened, for example, as in Figure 3 showing groundwater hydrography for a piezometer (LS21A) screened in the Yarragadee Formation of the Perth Basin. In determining trends, the episodic jump was generally ignored and, as in this example, the established pre-2000 trend did not include the rapid rise that occurred in the second half of 1999. The most alarming aspect of our observations is in the northern Perth Basin, which contains regional groundwater systems in extensive aquifers.
Since 2000, we have observed a shift from generally increasing groundwater trends in the northern Perth Basin to generally decreasing trends.
Determination of the ability of pastures to reduce nitrate-N leaching
Nitrate runoff losses during July in all pastures are higher than other months due to greater soil moisture, while perennial pastures used the highest amount of water in the same month. Dolling PJ, Porter W (1994 ) Acidification rates in the central grain wheat belt of Western Australia in a deep yellow sand.
Environmental assurance and Western Australia's broadacre industries - gaining the marketing edge
The Farming for the Future team is confident that on-farm practices identified through its consultation processes with DAFWA research and industry programs are beginning to identify a range of CRPs that can lead to a more sustainable farming system in a broad sense. Broad industries are beginning to adopt and report on on-farm use of CRPs through industry benchmarking and the adoption of environmental management systems. There is also a need to ensure that these on-farm CRPs are linked to the management action goals and resource condition goals of regional NRM agencies and our corresponding state goals.
Importantly for the NRM program, we must ensure that the on-farm CRPs identified lead to good environmental outcomes that reduce the risks from agriculture to the natural resource base.
Planning for project impact
A project can aim for a trickle-down effect from a small number of demonstration sites to a wider target audience. Something else to throw into the planning mix is that while higher levels of change result in more consistent results, levels 1, 2, and the beginning of level 3 are where information from outsiders (extension workers, researchers, consultants etc) and social networks are possible. to have a greater impact on the decision-making of the target audience. Alternatively, the target audience for change may be individuals or groups intermediate in the influence process, also known as end users.
In the case of the following users/intermediaries as target audiences, their needs will be related to the needs of their target audience.
Acidic groundwater in the South West of Western Australia: Its distribution, causes and implications for agriculture
The focus was originally on acidic sulphate soils, but over time it was realized that agriculture made only a relatively small contribution to acid sulphate soil disturbance, but agricultural practices caused major disturbances of acidic groundwater in the drier regions. The project has more than 3 FTEs and the results (Figure 1) cover four main themes: research into the origin, distribution and effects of acidification; expansion activities; water treatment systems;. Monitoring on the western south coast and Peel-Harvey looking at the possible effects of acid sulphate soils on water quality.
Mann AW (1983) Hydrogeochemistry and weathering on the Yilgarn block, Western Australia - Ferrolysis and heavy metals in continental brine.
Reducing nitrogen and phosphorus leaching from feedlots using Green Pad bioremediation
However, it seems reasonable to expect at least 20 to 30 years for the design used in this study. The authors acknowledge the generous support of the South West Catchment Council, the Natural Heritage Trust, the Government of Western Australia, Dairy Australia and Western Dairy for the opportunity to implement and evaluate the Green Pad remediation technology.
Setting catchment and regional scale salinity targets in the South West NRM Region
SWCC's Salinity Program adopted the suggested regional 'technical' soil salinity target: "Total land area affected by dryland salinity in the medium and low rainfall portion of the Southwest NRM region to be no more than 12% in 2020.". The project is an initiative of the South West Catchment Council and is jointly funded by the State and Australian Governments under the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality. They also supported the project team in planning the logistics of the workshops such as venue, dates and time.
Raper GP, Kowald J, Percy H, Smith MS, Hu S (in prep) Groundwater trends and salinity risk in the Medium to Low Rainfall Zones of the Southwest Natural Resource Management Region.
Climate change – DAFWA policy and research activities*
Waterwise on the Farm in Western Australia
The use of an external marketing company also allowed participants to be more honest about the courses. Participants in the courses appear to be motivated to attend the training due to a recognized need to improve water use efficiency, a change in the current water supply or a desire to build on their current knowledge with the latest information. This is a very good indicator that the training has been effective, as these concepts are the key components of the training course.
The evaluations highlighted the importance of using good adult learning techniques, small groups, practical hands-on training activities and the need for individual follow-up as part of the training.
The Greener Pastures project - a good model for effective NRM integration with industry?
The results show that increasing the rotation rate negates part of the potential pasture growth response due to nitrogen fertilizers and negatively affects the nutritional balance of the pasture for dairy cows. This is due to the moderate PRI of typical productive dairy soils and means that the total P retention capacity becomes very large when the moderate (or even low) PRI is factored in by the depth of the soil, which must first be 'saturated' before soluble P becomes evident in the groundwater . It most likely depends on the status of P in the soil 'crust', meaning that the relatively simple application recommendations actively promoted by the Greener Pastures project, such as application based on soil test target levels, can be very effective in reducing P export.
Bennett DL, Donnelly P, Tille P (2007 ) Impact of more intensive grazing on nitrogen and phosphorus levels in shallow south Perth Basin aquifers.
Modelling reliable runoff from farm scale catchments
The runoff index for each land unit area is calculated by summing the excess infiltration and saturation indices. Site soil units that have a runoff index of 35 or more are assigned landform type A (high runoff). The runoff generated by the mapped area units varies depending on rainfall (10 mm increments) and vegetation status (cleared or covered with vegetation).
Areas within a catchment of different runoff generations are summed to give a total volume of runoff generated in a catchment for 90% AEP, 50% or 10%.
