Satellite Symposium 3: Pastoral Systems

Description

Dryland salinity affects over 2.5 M ha in Australia, mostly in southern states and is expanding at 3-5% per year (NLWRA, 2001). The prognosis is for considerable expansion of the area affected by salinity and waterlogging (12–17 M ha at equilibrium), because groundwater levels continue to rise and only small-scale land management programmes have been implemented. In addition, many waterways are increasingly saline, especially in the Murray Darling Basin and in Western Australia (WA). Sustainable Grazing on Saline Land (SGSL) addresses the need to make productive use of saline land and water resources. Its research component operates at 12 sites across WA, South Australia (SA), Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) and consists of coordinated activities that have regional relevance and contribute nationally. The programme seeks to develop and demonstrate profitable and sustainable grazing systems on saline land that have positive environmental and social impacts. Whilst there are different priority research issues at each site, data collection is governed by common measurement protocols for salt and water movement, biodiversity, and pasture and animal performance in order to make comparisons and data sharing across sites practical.

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Profitable and Sustainable Grazing Systems for Livestock Producers with Saline Land in Southern Australia

Dryland salinity affects over 2.5 M ha in Australia, mostly in southern states and is expanding at 3-5% per year (NLWRA, 2001). The prognosis is for considerable expansion of the area affected by salinity and waterlogging (12–17 M ha at equilibrium), because groundwater levels continue to rise and only small-scale land management programmes have been implemented. In addition, many waterways are increasingly saline, especially in the Murray Darling Basin and in Western Australia (WA). Sustainable Grazing on Saline Land (SGSL) addresses the need to make productive use of saline land and water resources. Its research component operates at 12 sites across WA, South Australia (SA), Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) and consists of coordinated activities that have regional relevance and contribute nationally. The programme seeks to develop and demonstrate profitable and sustainable grazing systems on saline land that have positive environmental and social impacts. Whilst there are different priority research issues at each site, data collection is governed by common measurement protocols for salt and water movement, biodiversity, and pasture and animal performance in order to make comparisons and data sharing across sites practical.