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Catchment Demonstration Initiative

Salinity management for the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality

The Catchment Demonstration Initiative (CDI) aims to demonstrate combinations of salinity management practices to recover saline land, restrict its development and allow profitable uses of saline land and water.

The Government of Western Australia, the Commonwealth and regional NRM groups are combining to demonstrate viable salinity management systems as part of the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality.

The Catchment Demonstration Initiative is a $6 million Joint State and Commonwealth Government program to demonstrate viable salinity management systems in the agricultural area of Western Australia. It aims to deliver its outcomes in partnership with NRM Regions by co-investment in targeted, large-scaled, catchment-based demonstrations of integrated salinity management practices. The Initiative is also seeking to attract industry and business partners.

CDI will complement the Engineering Evaluation Initiative by including engineering options and build on other on-ground activities either underway or planned by catchment and regional NRM groups.

Background

A total of $6million will be spent developing salinity management demonstration projects in four Western Australian catchments which will guide farmers to address salinity.

This is the first funding commitment under the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality bilateral agreement recently signed between Prime Minister John Howard and Premier Geoff Gallop.

The projects were selected by agreement between State and Federal Government representatives in consultation with regional natural resource management bodies. Major elements of the works include:

$1.7million to plant perennial pastures, woody perennials, install surface water management structures, rehabilitate existing saline land and protect areas at risk in the 40,000ha Upper Coblinine Catchment within the South-West Region.
$1.2million to demonstrate large-scaled engineering and water management system, perennial pastures, oil mallees and saltbush and develop uses for excess water in the 24,000ha Wallatin and O'Brien Catchments, west of Kellerberrin in the Avon region.
$1.2million to establish perennial pastures, riparian and remnant vegetation protection and build structures to manage surface water on the Jerramungup Plain in the 60,000ha Fitzgerald River Catchment on the South Coast.
$1million to demonstrate commercial farm forestry, engineering, perennial pasture, salt land grazing and surface water management systems in the 42,000ha Gillingarra-Koojan catchment in the Northern Agricultural region.

These funds, matched by landholders in each group, will deliver realistic catchment scaled demonstrations of salinity management options.

Each group received $125,000 of additional financial support to finalise plans detailing the work to be carried out and ensure processes are in place to monitor and evaluate each of the plans and communicate the story.

A total of 24 catchment and grower-based groups from Geraldton to Esperance applied for more than $24million in funds as part of the Catchment Demonstration Initiative.

The four CDI projects were successful because they were technically and economically sound, well supported and would deliver realistic examples of the management of land, water, infrastructure and flora and fauna to contain, reduce or make productive use of salt-affected land.

Further information

Page Updated: December 2006