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Ok I have been getting the name of the event wrong! My last 2 updates were titled the International Salinity Conference rather than 2nd International Salinity Forum (apologies Dr Richard Price et al). As we enter the final day the of the forum the mood has become more optimistic as delegates have transcended the blustery cold weather of the past days (climatic and sobriety of presentations). The particularly good presentations I have recently attended.
Prof David Pannell
A very sobering and frank evaluation of salinity policy in Australia and regional arrangements. Overall Prof Pannell found many difficulties with national salinity policy and consistent with the audit of regional arrangements found them largely unsuccessful. However he did give a analysis as to why and made some recommendations for improving. Mercifully Prof Pannell believes they can work and like John Williams called for the regional bodies to be supported.
Recommendation for future NRM investment - focus on targeted local assets that are;
more info www.sif3.org
Prof Steve Dovers
A very entertaining presentation drawing out society’s performance with regard to sustainability and the social and political dimensions of the salinity issue. A salient wake up call (can I say salient) as to the harsh societal reality all sustainability, NRM and salinity finds itself in when we leave gathering such as this a get back to our respective organisations
Quote of the forum “I am not a natural scientist ….. so that makes me an un-natural scientist, a social scientist ,… which is better than an anti-social scientist
Paul Sanford - Evergraze
A great project involving a number of partners including the Future Farming Systems CRC. The project aims were to increase farm profit by 50% while improving NRM outcomes in particular reducing recharge into saline aquafiers. Farming systems were modelled based on perennial pastures, then trialled on three sites Albany, Hamilton and Wagga Wagga an additional 3 sites have been added and will be further scaled up in the future. Early results in-spite of lower than average rainfall are promising. This is by far the best use of modelling I have seen yet. For more info www.evergraze.com.au
Integrating themes on farms
This was a great session to bring together the learnings of the forum by the people who most commonly get lost in events such as this one, the farmers. Kudos to the organisers for including this session.
Dr Bakhshai Lashari - gave a perspective from Pakistan. Pakistan Agriculture is very different to Australian ag however their management of water resources has a structure not dissimilar to customer committees etc. He intervied a Pakistan farmer who has bad salinity issues on a 100ha farm inspite of the government having a salinity program he has very limited assistance. (in-spite of having no farm profit).
Tony York (Wheatbelt Western Australia) Grandfather settled in 1908 took 30 years for salinity to show. 20% - 30% of grandfather’s production met his energy needs (horses) Tony calculated 5000t CO2 which would take 25% - 30% of production to be carbon neutral. Now 11,000ha owned 2400ha leased, 22% saline. Has established salt tolerant perennial pastures 450ha Bluebush, 400ha Oldman Saltbush. estimates $36,800 gross added to enterprise from pastures on saline land. However benefits far more significant 1000 additional ewes, 10% more cropping,
David Marsh SW NSW - a superb presentation about the ecological and bioeconomic principles of farming. Farm goals blew me away. Lives in heavily cleared grassy woodland 2% to 20% timber 814ha rain 625mm/year all life relies upon harvesting benefits of photosynthesis. Grazes paddock for 6 to 10 days per year, farming systems seeks to increase species. Deal with Salinity to strengthen mineral, energy and water cycles and use monitoring.
Don Barnett - Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program. Spoke about 2 farms one in the upper end of the basin and one in the lower. Upper end - good WQ, marginal economic output, underlain by saline soil 80-90% of farmers have an off farm income.
Try to keep salt so as to not move them down river. Use sprinkler systems rather than flooding. 75% cost share on irrigation with government, greater profit, less work better yields.
Lower irrigators use surge irrigation as opposed to straight flood
Lower End Very High Economic
Imperial Irrigation district - deep rip, plant cover crops, green chop, install tile drains, to reduce salinity enough to grow cash crops.
Integrating themes in rivers and basins
Wendy Craik CEO Murray Darling Basin Commission - Murray a highly regulated highly variable river system, outlined the murray plan half time review.
Jack Barnett - Water Resource Engineer, Exec Director Colorado River Basin Salinity Salinity Control Program. 30 years into the Colorado program spend most $$ on implementation. 9,000,000 tonnes per year of salt into Glen Cannon Dam
Don Suarez and Faisal Taha rounded off the forum by giving a international perspective. Don was very thorough and thoughtful in his examination. Dr Taha brought the forum to a crescendo with his warm and humorous water quality scorecard approach to conference evaluation. organisers
Congratulations go to the and Dr Richard Price as indeed he should received a standing ovation for his contribution.
Dean Power attended the 2nd International Salinity Forum with support from BMRG and BCCA
Day 2 at the International Salinity Conference
Delegates seem earnest in their concentration and who wouldn’t be after the beating we took yesterday i.e. Wake Up calls from all early speakers about the magnitude of the challenges facing the planet let alone the significant issue of salinity.
Dr Karen Villholth - International Water Management Institute
Many salinity processes creep up slowly and like Prof Warren Wood said yesterday are more analogous with a heart attack. However, Dr Villholth Karen spoke about her experience of salinity effects in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami. and Dr Phil Cummins Geoscience Australia and potential of future tsunami’s. This type of threat also arrives rapidly but appears far more difficult to deal with.
