Efforts to prevent the loss of valuable agricultural resources to competing land uses will be profiled at the Tipping Point Conference, to be held in Busselton in May.
The Department of Agriculture and Food’s highly regarded High Quality Agricultural Land (HQAL) project is making a significant contribution to land use planning, as well as economic, social and environmental decision making processes.
Department research officer Angela Stuart-Street will discuss the progress of the project at the conference, which is presented by the WA Natural Resource Management and Regional Development Australia networks.
“The project was initiated to inform local and regional planning about the most productive and versatile areas of agricultural land to place it on a level with competing land uses to highlight the importance of maintaining these areas for future generations,” Ms Stuart-Street said.
Planners are provided with a series of maps and summary information sheets that describe and rank the most productive and versatile agricultural areas.
“HQAL information can also be used for broader strategic resource management, such as water resource planning and natural resource management investment,” Ms Stuart-Street said.
“Our approach combines land capability, climate and water resource data to assist local and State governments make more informed planning decisions about land and water.”
The HQAL work has been completed across the Batavia Coast and the department is now working in the North Midlands and further south to coastal wheatbelt shires.
“Some of these areas are very complex so it will take some time to complete a thorough assessment,” Ms Stuart-Street said.
The department has several other speakers at the conference, including Don Bennett on saltbush, Richard George on irrigated agriculture development in the north, while Chris Gazey will discuss his long term work on soil acidity and David Rogers will demystify soil test data.
Tilwin Westrup will profile the More Dollars Per Drop project, while Noel Schoknecht will talk about the Natural Resource Report Card and Mike Clarke on carbon farming.
Well known naturalist, Harry Butler, is one of the keynote speakers, who will question whether society has ‘tipped the balance’ and incorporated natural resource management into sustainable land use development.
The Tipping Point Conference will be held from 7-9 May, at the Abbey Beach Resort, Busselton. For more information and registrations visit nrmconferencewa.com.au [1]
Media contact: Jodie Thomson/Lisa Bertram, media liaison +61 (0)8 9368 3937