Page Content
Salinity
- Major programs and initiatives
- Research and development
- Salinity advice
- Salinity monitoring and assessment
- Salinity mapping methods in the Australian context
- Salinity Education Scoping Study
- Groundwater Flow Systems Framework (GFS)
- Practical Index of Salinity Models (PRISM)
- Airborne geophysics
- Australian Dryland Salinity Assessment 2000
- Desalinisation technologies
About salinity
Salt is a natural part of the Australian landscape but can become a serious problem when carried by water to where it threatens:
- agriculture
- infrastructure such as roads and building
- water resources
- the environment.
This process is called salinisation and careful natural resource management is needed to prevent it. The Australian Government coordinates national investment to manage dryland salinity.
Investment includes:
- major programs and initiatives
- research and development
- salinity advice
- salinity information sources
- salinity monitoring and assessment.
These investments support:
- training, skills and tools for resource managers
- works to control salinity
- research, extension and adoption of profitable and sustainable production options to cope with, slow and reverse salinity
- expert analysis to guide salinity policy and management action
- better access to salinity data and information at the national and regional level.
The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Natural Resource Management Division coordinates and provides advice to support national salinity investment.
For further information email: Salinity Contact Officer
Major programs and initiatives
The Australian Government supports salinity management and other natural resource management issues, through three major national programs:
- National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality
- Natural Heritage Trust
- National Landcare Program.
Government investment helps regions develop programs and the capacity to deal with dryland salinity. The Government also funds expert assessments, data monitoring, and the development of tools, frameworks and models.
Research and development
New sustainable production and management options are tools for dealing with salinity. The Australian Government supports research and development of new production systems through the Cooperative Research Centre for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity (CRC) and Land and Water Australia.
The CRC aims to improve understanding of how natural and agricultural ecosystems interact. The CRC is developing new, plant-based land-use systems to support agricultural production while also slowing and reversing dryland salinity, improving water quality and sustaining rural communities.
CRC publications Focus on Salt and Salt Magazine are sources of salinity information for landholders and regional managers.
The Land and Water Australia projects Grain and Graze and Land, Water and Wool aim to provide tools to help producers manage productivity, natural resources and risks. The Land, Water and Wool research sub-program Sustainable Grazing of Saline Lands is also developing sustainable land-use systems and economically viable salinity technologies.
Salinity advice
The Australian Government provides scientific and economic analysis about salinity through the Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) and Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE). The assessments are used by Government to develop policies and help decision-making. Resource managers also use them to consider actions to deal with salinity problems.
BRS does biophysical and social assessments, such as salt mapping and hydro-geological assessments, to help understand salinity risks on the land.
ABARE does economic assessments, including salinity control options and investment priorities for salinity control. Tools include the Salinity and Landuse Simulation Analysis (SALSA) model, which integrates catchment-scale hydro-geological information with an economic model of land use.
Salinity monitoring and assessment
The Australian Government supports standardised collection and distribution of salinity data through the National Land and Water Resources Audit. The audit’s role is to develop and implement regional monitoring and evaluation databases. The national salinity database requires consistent collection, management and use of salinity information. The database aims to increase understanding of salinity hazards, inform management decisions and demonstrate changes to salinity levels. The audit also maintains other salinity information through the Australian Natural Resources Data Library and the Australian Atlas of Natural Resources.
National Dryland Salinity Program
The National Dryland Salinity Program (NDSP) provided a major communication network for distributing salinity information and management support tools in Australia. Land and Water Australia maintains a list of NDSP’s web-based products. They include:
- Breaking Ground: Key Findings from 10 Years of Australia’s National Dryland Salinity Program
PDF [789kb] - Dryland Salinity and Catchment Management: A Resource Guide and Action Manual for Catchment Managers PDF [2.1mb]
- Dryland Salinity: On-Farm Decisions and Catchment Outcomes- A Guide for Leading Producers and Advisers PDF [1.3mb]
Salinity mapping methods in the Australian context
The following publications provide advice on the accepted range of salinity mapping methods: Salinity Mapping in the Australian Context and Salinity Mapping in the Australian Context - User Guide and CD-ROM. The user-guide summarises the benefits and limitations of each mapping technique and has information on costs, scale and survey design. Copies are available from the Department of the Environment and Heritage Community Information Unit.
Salinity Education Scoping Study
The study investigated the need to include salinity and water quality training in the Conservation and Land Management Training Package (CLMP) under the Vocational Education and Training accreditation system. It recommended better coordination of national training on salinity and water quality for resource managers.
Groundwater Flow Systems Framework (GFS)
The GFS PDF [2mb] maps the geographical extent of salinity and the recommended timeframes for managing changes to groundwater aquifers in Australia. The maps distinguish between areas where short-term to long-term management responses are appropriate.
Practical Index of Salinity Models (PRISM)
PRISM is a database of more than 90 tools, models and frameworks to guide natural resource managers in salinity assessments and planning.
Airborne geophysics
The National Airborne Geophysics Project summarises the value, strengths and limitations of the technology and provides guidance for further applying the technology to develop management plans to remedy or prevent dryland salinity on properties.
Australian Dryland Salinity Assessment 2000
The Australian Dryland Salinity Assessment 2000 was the first report of the National Land and Water Resources Audit. It produced maps of the extent and future risks of salinity across Australia.
Desalinisation technologies
The Introduction to Desalination Technologies in Australia report describes available desalination technologies and their potential to provide cost-effective salinity and water quality management tools particularly in the National Action Plan regions. The report includes a ‘desalination decision tree’ to help communities determine whether desalination is appropriate and which technologies to use.
The Australian Government Response to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Science and Innovation May 2004 Report: Science Overcoming Salinity: Coordinating and extending the science to address the nation’s salinity problem
The Australian Government response details how Government programs, initiatives and activities satisfy the recommendations of the report. It shows how continual improvement in the management of salinity is achieved by ensuring science, research and management options are available to resource managers at all levels.
