02-10-2002

Dryland salinity is just as much a threat to the urban environment as it is to the rural sector

This warning came out of the 8th National and Productive Use and Rehabilitation of Salinised Lands (PUR$L) Conference and Workshops held in Fremantle, Western Australia from 16-20 September.

The small town of Katanning in the south-west of Western Australia has predicted damages from dryland salinity over the next seven years of $6.9 million, with a predicted cost of full repair over that time of $7.6 million.

Thirty-seven country towns across Western Australia have joined in a Rural Towns program to help fight rampant dryland salinity.

The National Dryland Salinity Program's Queensland Communication Co-ordinator Mark Warnick said the conference showed up the massive salinisation of rural and urban communities across Western Australia.

"It sends out a clear and timely message for Queensland to take the dryland salinity threat seriously and to continually monitor our land and water resources to pick up emerging salinity," Mr Warnick said.

"Katanning has numerous homes that are being literally eaten away by salinity.

"It has high underground water tables that regularly rise to the surface and overflow with saline water, and we need to use the latest scientific evidence to combat the possibility of this happening in Queensland," he said.

The conference was attended by a number of Queensland representatives from the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, the Department of Primary Industries, Environmental Protection Agency and a number of Queensland-based companies including Saltgrow Pty Ltd, which presented information about hybridising eucalypts for saltlands.

The conference included the launch of 'Sustainable Grazing on Saline Land', a production-focussed saltland management partnership between Australian Wool Innovation Ltd (AWI) and Land & Water Australia, which is being driven by woolgrowers throughout Australia. Other sessions at the conference included the latest advances in pastures and animal production on saline lands; aquaculture opportunities from saline land and sessions on economics, community benefits and the natural environment in salinised landscapes.

Keynote speaker Dr Mirko Stauffacher from CSIRO told the conference that scientists "could no longer hide behind their laboratories and needed to genuinely connect and communicate with the community."

A number of landowners from around Australia detailed the intensive work they have done over many years to counter dryland salinity on their properties and their efforts to save their enterprises and lift their productivity.

Queensland will host the 9th National PUR$L conference next year from 29 September to 2 October 2003 at Yeppoon in central Queensland.

Major sponsors include the National Dryland Salinity Program with major assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency and Departments of Primary Industries and Natural Resources and Mines.

ENDS

Further information:

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