15-03-2001

The magnitude of Australia's dryland salinity problem has made it clear that even if the spread of salinity can be slowed, we will still be left with vast areas of salt-affected land and saline groundwater.

As Australia becomes reconciled to living with salt in certain circumstances, it also becomes important to find ways of using this salt productively.

Australia's National Dryland Salinity Program (NDSP) has commissioned a project researching the Options for the Productive Use of Salinity (OPUS). Interim findings from this landmark project will be reported to a national conference to be held in Launceston, Tasmania, from 20-23 March 2001.

PPK Environment and Infrastructure consultant and OPUS project manager Stephanie Bolt says the OPUS project stems from the premise that salt is actually resource.

'Whilst salt limits traditional agricultural production systems, opportunities do exist to establish productive industries based on saline land and groundwater,' she says.

Stephanie Bolt says the OPUS team has explored the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for each of these options and developed a decision-making framework for potential investors.

'We will present a series of broad recommendations to the NDSP on future research, development and policy directions for saline industries,' she says.

'The team has also undertaken a relative risk analysis for selected industries that might adopt some of these options. This risk assessment has been based upon marketing, production, technical and human resource issues that impact on the industry.'

Stephanie Bolt says saline aquaculture appears to show the most promise from early analysis of the 12 potential industries.

'But high establishment costs are an impediment and further research is also needed to optimise production systems,' she says.

'Salt-tolerant pastures offer the benefit of protecting and in some cases restoring the condition of the land.

'The economic return from these pastures is of course closely tied to the fortunes of the grazing industries they support.

'The overall assessment of the prospects for salinity-based industries is cautious. They face all the obstacles encountered by most new industries that still need a solid underpinning of research and development. As well, there is the usual direct relationship between risk and likely economic return.'

OPUS has researched 12 potential industries under the general headings of:

Pastures for livestock

• Plants that have characteristics enabling them to 'avoid' salt
• Salt tolerant pastures that cope with moderate levels of salinity
• Halophytic plants that actually thrive on salt

New crops

• Conventional grain and horticultural crops that have been bred with salt tolerance
• Salt tolerant tree crops (eg eucalypt hybrids)
• Halophytic grain crops that thrive on salt

Salt water farming

• Fish farming
• Niche products from algae
• Brine shrimp and seaweed farming

The 'good salt'

• Salt and mineral harvesting
• Electricity generation
• De-salination for fresh water production

For further information please contact:

Please contact Land & Water Australia
Email: land&wateraustralia@lwa.gov.au
Phone: 02 6263 6000