The Great Barrier Reef Land Management Practices Survey will assist the Australian Government in assessing whether Reef Rescue investments have significantly improved the adoption rates of land management practices contributing to improved water quality (chemicals, nutrients and sediments) discharging into the GBR. The outputs will provide details of the extent and type of practices in the GBR catchments that are likely to be targeted for investment under Reef Rescue, from 2008-2013.
The Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) have signed an MOU for the ABS to conduct this survey during 2008-09. is being funded by, and conducted under Reef Rescue, a component of the Caring for our Country initiative supporting the effective management of Australia's natural resources.
The primary purpose of the survey is to provide baseline land management practice information at the catchment level for holdings undertaking agricultural activities identified as impacting on the GBR water quality. The resulting survey data will compliment other existing information on land management practices from industry, research organisations and regional NRM bodies, along with biophysical data on water quality.
This information is a necessary plank in the evidence framework forming the strategy for assessing progress towards long term improvement in reef condition. The survey has been designed so that it may be repeated at some time in the future, to allow the measurement of changes in management practices over time.
The scope of the survey is all holdings within 28 of the 30 catchments identified as draining to the GBR lagoon, with the primary land use activity being sugar cane growing, horticulture, broadacre cropping or grazing (beef cattle only). The two catchments excluded are in the Cape York NRM region. These have minimal agricultural activity and land management practices in these catchments are being assessed using other methods.
The main outputs from the LMPS will be data presented for each of the 28 selected catchments that discharge into the GBR. Summary information covering NRM regions and the whole area discharging to the reef will also be provided.
The activities for which management practice information will be provided at catchment level are:
- Sugarcane
- Horticulture
- Broadacre cropping
- Beef cattle
Outputs of the survey will provide baseline information for the following topics:
- Soil management including testing, timing of testing, sampling strategies
- Fertiliser management including use, type, criteria for decisions on when and amount to apply, information sources, application methods, equipment calibration
- Chemical management including use, type, application methods, criteria for decisions on when to apply, equipment calibration.
- Alternate control methods including chemical, mechanical, other and practices to avoid "off farm" chemical loss.
- Water (including run-off) management including irrigation, riparian and surface management practices.
- Ground cover management including ground cover targets.
- Sugarcane management practices relating to tillage, crop residue (trash), crop rotation, and lay-out.
- Horticulture management practices relating to fallow, lay-out, and ground cover.
- Broadacre crop management practices relating to tillage, fallow, residue/stubble and use of GPS.
- Beef cattle management practices relating to grazing strategies, pasture management, and ground cover
Outputs include an ABS release (to be published in December 2009), with a set of customised tables.
A further release of data is planned in March 2010.
Boundaries for land parcels are as defined on the Public Sector Mapping Authority's (PSMA) digital cadastre (CADLITE). Landowner information from the Queensland Government indicate the parcels under common ownership to enable holdings to be formed.
Boundaries for catchments are as defined by Geoscience Australia's digital River Basin layer.
Other concepts (summary)
GEOGRAPHIC DETAIL
Other (specify below)
Comments and/or Other Regions
Information disseminated by Natural Resource Management Region and Catchment areas
COLLECTION FREQUENCY
Once Only
Frequency comments
User funded one off survey
COLLECTION HISTORY
This is the first time that this collection has been run. It is intended that the collection will be repeated at some time in the future.
DATA AVAILABILITY
Yes
Data availability comments
DATE OF LAST UPDATE FOR THIS DOCUMENT
22/01/2010 08:11 AM
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