08-08-2004

Australia's most prestigious award for salinity research, the WE Wood Award, has been won by a Western Australian with a talent for challenging convention.

Professor David Pannell, a researcher with the CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity, is the winner of the fifth annual award that commemorates the foresight and achievements of railway engineer Walter Ernest Wood who, in 1924, recognised and reported on the salinity risks associated with land clearing.

Presenting the award at the national Salinity Solutions Conference in Bendigo, the chair of the selection panel, Kevin Goss, drew attention to the great significance of Professor Pannell's work.

'David Pannell has been a national research leader, demonstrating that potential solutions to dryland salinity must take account of its complexity', said Mr Goss. 'He has shown that simple solutions, applied broadly, just won't work. They will be a waste of resources and lead to dashed expectations. This of course presents a challenge to policy makers who so often work within the confines of short political time frames and are often under pressure to deliver on-ground action.

'David Pannell's work has greatly influenced policy makers who are now heeding his message. We are seeing much greater attention paid to cost-effectiveness and a more realistic appreciation of the importance of socio-economic issues in developing salinity solutions.

'Our understanding of salinity has developed greatly in recent years, but this also serves to remind us that the more we know, the more we realise we don't know', said Mr Goss. 'David Pannell consistent call for commitment to well-planned long-term research is a message we will ignore at our peril.

'With responsibility for natural resource management increasingly devolved to catchment management authorities, it is vital that these bodies base their decisions on the very best science.

'Whilst the influence of Professor Pannell's work stems largely from its intellectual rigour, it also owes much to the effectiveness with which he communicates his results and his analyses in a wide range of forums.'

The WE Wood Award was instituted by the National Dryland Salinity Program to recognise the outstanding contribution Australian scientists have made to the fight against salinity.

Professor Pannell continues the long record of Western Australian success in the WE Wood Award. Previous winners were Dr Tom Hatton, Dr Richard George, Dr Ed Barrett Lennard (all from WA) along with Dr Glen Walker from South Australia.

For further information please contact:

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