The effects of climate change and the prospect of greater regulation over water use will mean irrigators need update their knowledge so they can make the right decisions now and to plan for the future.
The widespread adoption of agroforestry and native vegetation management is seen as a means of supporting agricultural productivity; increasing the resilience of farming businesses in the face of increasingly uncertain climate and market conditions; reducing the environmental impacts of agricultural management; and enhancing regional biodiversity, aesthetic and cultural values.
Under climate change conditions Australia will generally be hotter and, for many parts of the country drier.
Vegetation water use is strongly influenced by soil moisture availability (which is influenced by rainfall) and evaporative demand.
Soil moisture will be more scarce in the future across much of the continent due to declining rainfall. The major input of water into the Australian landscape is rainfall and most rainfall (70–95%) returns to the atmosphere as (more)...
Accumulation and storage of carbon in trees is one method of sequestration which may help offset increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. However, for every molecule of CO2 absorbed by a leaf, up to a thousand molecules of water are released as transpiration, water that has moved out of the soil into the atmosphere. Therefore, simply planting more trees to absorb more CO2 is not as risk-free as may originally be thought, (more)...
We conducted a three-year field study to test whether the invasiveness of mesquite, and its response to biological control, differs with taxa and climate (between region and years). Permanent study sites were set up and monitored in the core infestations
This is the final report for Land & Water Australia research project CEN10
This project will model the change in distribution of sleeper and environmental alert species due to climate change and will assist in preparing a climate change weed risk map for natural resource management regions across Australia.
Acidity, salinity, nutrient deline, erosion have major production and environmental impacts in NSW. An estimated 16-20m hectares in the state are affected to water erosion and 200,000 hectares are affected by salinity.
Among Australia Day 2009 achievement medallion awardees was scientist Mark Silburn, whose contributions in hydrology, catchment management and other fields were recognised.
