Floreat Laboratory – Public Seminar Series 2007

Myths about salinity management in the wheatbelt:
Experiences from the Catchment Demonstration Initiative in the Wallatin and O’Brien catchments

Dr Michael Robertson
Principal Research Scientist
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems

Thursday 6 September 2007 at 3.30pm, CSIRO Auditorium

Abstract

While there is a general understanding of the chief constraints to widespread adoption of salinity management options by landholders, this has not often been substantiated by case studies in catchments where landholders have opportunities to make choices about how they grapple with the salinity problem on their farms. CSIRO researchers worked alongside the Catchment Demonstration Initiative (CDI) in the Wallatin and O’Brien catchments in one of four CDI projects in Western Australia. The CDI projects were established by the Western Australian Government in 2002 for targeted investment in large-scale catchment-based demonstrations of integrated salinity management practices. The aim of the Wallatin – O’Brien CDI is to demonstrate how combinations of salinity management practices can be used on-farm. Our study developed a set of key messages for other farmers and catchment groups trying to grapple with salinity management. These messages are specific to the context of the farmers and their farming systems, the hydrogeology and extent of salinity in the catchments and the process undertaken by the CDI. However, we believe that many of these messages are applicable not only to other catchment groups in the central wheatbelt of WA but also throughout Australia. They also have policy implications for state and federal governments who support salinity intervention programs.

About the speaker

Michael Robertson is a principal research scientist with CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems in Perth, where he leads a group of researchers focussing on sustainable land use in the wheatbelt. Michael’s science background is in the physiology of crops and has a keen interest in crop agronomy, simulation modelling and exploring the sustainability of farming systems. Michael has been in CSIRO since 1992, and held positions in Townsville and Brisbane before his current position in Perth.

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