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Objective

Recommendation

Key issues

Further and related recommendations

Actions taken

Objective

To ensure that comprehensive information about the extent, severity and rate of land degradation and land use capability data are available for use by all levels of government in land use planning and management.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries undertakes an assessment of the extent, severity and rate of land degradation in Tasmania. The results of this assessment should be incorporated, with land use capability data, in Land Information System Tasmania (LIST) for use in the implementation of local government planning schemes and relevant State Policies, including the State Policy on the Protection of Agricultural Land.

Key issues

This information is available from Volume 2 of the last SoE Report (SDAC 1997), which can be downloaded. The final objective, final recommendation, and a summary of key management actions are detailed below.

Further and related recommendations

Actions taken

With the exception of salinity mapping, little progress has been made since the previous SoE Report (1997) to progress this recommendation on land degradation. Soil degradation has not been assessed at a Statewide scale, and the 1992 Statewide assessment of the extent and severity of rural tree decline (Grice 1992) has not been updated.

However, there has been some progress made in addressing the objective of this recommendation on land degradation, including the following.

• In 2000, the extent, severity, rate and impacts of dryland salinity in Tasmania for the National Land and Water Resource Audit was quantified. Recommendations for the management of salinity in Tasmania were made. This was published as, 'Extent and Impacts of Dryland Salinity in Tasmania, Volumes 1 and 2' (Bastick and Walker 2000) (see Salinity Audit - DPIWE). The Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment has also commenced the development of a Tasmanian Salinity Strategy due for completion in 2003.
   
• Research has been undertaken at the University of Tasmania and the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Production Forestry into the causes of rural tree decline.
   
• A Natural Heritage Trust supported project entitled 'Minimising Land Degradation and Salinity Risk using Resource Information' is investigating degradation risks including soil structure decline due to intensified land use at three pilot areas around the State.
   
• Understanding acid sulphate soils in Tasmania has improved since the survey, mapping and report undertaken by Gurung (2001).
   
• There is some soils mapping available on the LIST as well as forestry and vegetation data.