Dryland salinity is a potential threat to the Burdekin Dry
Tropics region. Funding from the National Action Plan for Salinity
and Water Quality enabled BDTNRM to build on existing information,
including an earlier Priority Action Project (PAP3), to better
assess the threats posed by dryland salinity.
Small areas within the BDTNRM dryland region have been
identified as being at risk of developing dryland salinity. The
good news is that current grazing land management
techniques, including rotational grazing, wet
season spelling, and maintaining perennial grasses will help
to keep salinity at bay and have also been proven to help with
productivity.
The BDTNRM Dryalnd Salinity project, conducted
in partnership with Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) had
three major components, as follows:
- Sub-regional priority setting process – existing
data was used to identify those parts of the BDT region at
higher risk of developing dryland salinity. The assessment
considerd factors such as geology, landform, topography, soils,
native vegetation cover, land use, groundwater and salt
storage.
- Salty Spots Factsheets – case studies have been used to
build an improved understanding of salinity processes and the
management of salty landscapes by graziers and farmers in the BDT
region. The case studies convey land manager’s stories about
managing their properties more sustainably including their
patches of salty land. The case studies also contain technical
information on why the salty areas have developed.
- Salty spots in the Burdekin Dry Tropics- an audio CD with
stories from the case study landholders, is currently being
produced. Contact Amanda Laurie at BDTNRM for a copy of the CD -
amanda.laurie@bdtnrm.org.au.
While there are numerous incidences of dryland salinity in the
BDT region, it is not as common as it is in parts of southern
Australia and has much less impact. Studies indicate, however, that
some of the region’s landscapes store large quantities of
salt, which if mobilised by rising water tables, could cause
extensive damage to agricultural land, native vegetation, rivers
and even road or rail infrastructure. Fortunately, the risk of
widespread changes in land use or management that would cause water
tables to rise in this way is relatively low and limits the threat
that salinity poses to the BDT region’s natural
resources.
The final report on the Dryland Salinity project is
currently being peer reveiwed, and will soon be available.