Portfolio Budget Statements 2004-2005
Environment and Heritage Portfolio
Budget Initiatives and Explanations of Appropriations 2004-2005
Budget Related Paper No. 1.7
ISSN 1448-1219 (Online), 1448-1200 (Print)
Part C - Agency Budget Statements (continued)
Department of the Environment and Heritage (continued)
Section 2 - Outcomes and Outputs Information Outcome 1 - Environment (continued)
Performance Information for Departmental Outputs - Output 1.8 Land management
- Sub Output:
- Effectiveness Statement
- Description
- Strategic Priorities
- Effectiveness in Delivering the Output
- Performance in Delivery of Departmental Outputs
SUB OUTPUT:
Land management
EFFECTIVENESS STATEMENT
Australia's land resources are managed in an ecologically sustainable way.
DESCRIPTION
Ecologically sustainable land management is critical to maintain the health of our environment, conserve our biodiversity, and remain a major agricultural producer and exporter.
The Department of the Environment and Heritage works co-operatively with other Australian Government and state/territory agencies to protect, manage and restore the natural and managed landscapes of agricultural and pastoral areas.
The rangelands, covering 75% of Australia, have special management needs. A sparse population, vast areas and a highly variable climate pose special challenges. Extensive areas of the rangelands have been altered by actions to support the pastoral industry. The Department is active in supporting the provision of artificial watering points in the rangelands to limit the drawdown of artesian and sub-artesian water systems including in the Great Artesian Basin.
A reduction in productivity may result from overstocking, high grazing pressure and inappropriate fire, water and soil management practises. Impacts include changes to grassland dynamics, erosion, dryland salinisation and loss of biodiversity including groundwater dependent mound spring ecosystems. These problems can be exacerbated by damage to soils and native grasses by increasing numbers of stock and feral animals, including camels, horses, donkeys and cattle, predation by foxes and cats, competition from rabbits, and growing problems with weeds.
The Department, together with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, is working with state and territory governments to implement the Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement and the Strategic Management Plan of the Great Artesian Basin Consultative Council through actions including supporting sustainable management and conservation of grazing lands, supporting the collaborative and strategic management of weeds and the development of Regional Natural Resources Management Plans for the regions. The Department has played a strong role in supporting the consultative arrangements under the agreements and supporting facilitators and coordinators that assist regional communities work towards sustainable management of the rangelands.
Australia's native vegetation is one of the richest and most fundamental elements of our natural heritage. Native vegetation binds and nourishes our ancient soils; shelters and sustains wildlife; protects streams, wetlands, estuaries, and coastlines; absorbs carbon dioxide and emits oxygen. Depletion and destruction of native vegetation is a primary driver of land degradation, salinity and declining water quality, and is the biggest cause of biodiversity loss. While broad scale land clearing for agriculture and urban development is a critical threat, the loss caused by clearing is compounded by the degradation of remnant bush through unsustainable grazing pressure, insect attack, disease, weeds, rising water tables, salinity, inappropriate fire management, unsustainable firewood gathering and neglect.
The Department, together with other Australian government agencies, implements the National Framework for the Management and Monitoring of Australia's Native Vegetation (2001) jointly with state and territory governments. The initiative outlines a coordinated national approach to native vegetation management.
The outcomes sought in the Native Vegetation Framework are:
- a reversal in the long-term decline in the extent and quality of Australia's native vegetation cover by conserving native vegetation and substantially reducing land clearing;
- conserving Australia's biodiversity;
- restoring, by means of substantially increasing revegetation, the environmental values and productive capacity of Australia's degraded land and water;
- conserving and, where appropriate, restoring native vegetation to maintain and enhance biodiversity, protect water quality and conserve soil resources, including on private land managed for agriculture, forestry and urban development;
- retaining and enhancing biodiversity and native vegetation at both regional and national levels; and
- improving the condition of existing native vegetation.
One of the greatest challenges facing Australia is how to manage our natural resources for a healthy future, when much of the landscape has critical salinity and water quality problems. These problems continue to affect everyone, across all State and Territory borders and local government areas. At least 2.5 million hectares (5% of Australia's cultivated land) is currently affected by dryland salinity, and this could rise to 12 million hectares (22%) at the current rate of increase.
To tackle these issues in some of Australia's worst affected areas, the Council of Australian Governments has endorsed the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, with the Australian Government investing $700 million over eight years. To address salinity, particularly dryland salinity, the Plan will support decisive actions to ensure that our land and water management practices will sustain productive and profitable land and water uses as well as our natural environments.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
The Australian Government's medium term strategic priorities for Output 1.8 are to:
- Sustainable management of Rangelands
The rangelands have special management needs. A sparse population, vast areas and a highly variable climate pose special challenges. The low overall productivity means that it is not always feasible to invest money or effort on restoration. Rural communities have been responsive to efforts to improve the sustainability of management practices but need information and other support that is relevant to the purpose and scale of their decision making.
The actions agreed under the Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement and the Strategic Management Plan of the Great Artesian Basin Consultative Council provide direction for governments and allow for the cooperative management of two of the largest areas of rangeland in Australia. These strategies, together with the regional planning processes and actions supported through the NAP and the Trust, allow governments and the community of the rangelands to improve the management of these vital areas.
Government support for biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management in the rangelands has focused on:
- gathering and sharing natural resource information, for example through the Australian Collaborative Rangeland Information System (ACRIS);
- building community capacity through providing facilitators and coordinators, educational material, information centres, and supporting relevant conferences and workshops;
- fire management with projects in the indigenous lands of western Arnhem Land, pastoral lands in the Sturt Plateau and Victoria River District and south-west of Katherine, and in the Kimberleys and Cape York;
- grazing management; and
- identification and management of areas of high conservation, for example, mound springs surveys, establishment of Indigenous Protected Areas, and threatened species recovery actions.
The most extensive land use in the rangelands is pastoralism. Better property management planning can improve management by matching stocking rate regimes to land capability and protecting areas of high conservation value using strategic location of fencing and changes to watering points. The government is supporting many projects to develop and communicate improved grazing management practices in the rangelands, tailored to the needs of different regional communities.
- Reversal in the long-term decline in native vegetation
The National Framework for the Management and Monitoring of Australia's Native Vegetation aims to reverse the long-term decline in the quality and extent of Australia's native vegetation cover.
The framework provides a vehicle through which the Australian, state and territory governments can implement this goal in a unified and consistent manner, against an agreed framework of best practice management and monitoring measures. The Australian Government in particular:
- produces national standards, guidelines, and policy documents for environmental values, for example the National Weeds Strategy;
- establishes and delivers programmes, for example the Trust - and in particular the Bushcare programme; and
- enters into bilateral environmental management agreements with the states and territories, for example the Bilateral Agreements under which the NAP and the Trust are being delivered jointly with the states and territories.
The provision of information and tools and case studies, especially on incentives for native vegetation management have proven particularly effective in assisting landholders, landcare groups, catchment management bodies and Governments to protect native vegetation.
- Address the impacts of soil salinity
Approximately 60% of Australia's land area is used for agriculture or extensive area grazing. At least 2.5 million hectares (5% of Australia's cultivated land) is currently affected by dryland salinity, with an additional 3.2 million hectares considered at risk.
The effect that salinity has on Australia's biodiversity is significant. For example, increased salinity could cause the extinction of approximately 450 species of native flora and 250 species of invertebrate water fauna in the Western Australian wheat belt alone. The problems of soil salinity can also transfer to adversely impact on Australia's streams, estuaries and coasts.
To address the impact that soil salinity is having in Australia, the Prime Minister announced the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality in October 2000. The NAP will tackle salinity and water quality in 22 priority regions and is a $1.4 billion commitment between the Australian and the State and Territory Governments. The Australian Government's contribution of $700 million over eight years builds on the successful work of the Trust and Landcare.
The NAP will work by helping people in the priority regions to develop regional plans to control salinity. These plans will vary from catchment to catchment, but will all include actions to manage regional water quality, salinity and bio-diversity appropriate for the local area and national objectives. Measures that may be included are:
- engineered water quality improvements such as salt interception technologies and removal of some weirs and disused structures;
- salinity prevention measures and drainage improvements; and
- land use change or amalgamation of properties, where current operations are no longer viable.
EFFECTIVENESS IN DELIVERING THE OUTPUT
Land management
Effectiveness Indicator: Impacts of soil salinity are reduced
Graph 1.8.1 Total number of accredited regional plans and investment strategies in place under the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality
The NAP supports the development of a total of 33 regional plans and investment strategies that apply local solutions to salinity and water quality problems in the 22 priority regions.
PERFORMANCE IN DELIVERY OF DEPARTMENTAL OUTPUTS
| Programme administration | Quantity | Number of projects/ activities approved under each programme. |
| Quantity | Number of agreements, plans and management arrangements put in place. | |
| Quality | Extent to which (self-imposed, Ministerial or external) timeframes are met. | |
| Quality | Accurate and timely approval, payment and acquittal of grants in accordance with legislation and guidelines. | |
| Quality | Accurate and timely payment of monies. | |
| Quality | Degree to which projects, activities, agreements/plans contribute to the output. | |
| Policy advising, ministerial and parliamentary | Quality | Minister is satisfied with the timeliness and quality of briefs provided by the Department. |
| Quality | Minister is satisfied with the timeliness and quality of draft ministerial correspondence by the Department. | |
| International | Quantity | Percentage of written pre meeting objectives at international meetings achieved. |
| Quality | Extent to which Australia's strategic objectives is achieved through international fora. | |
| Stakeholder awareness | Quantity | Information and education products distributed to stakeholders (measured by website hits, information material distributed, etc). |
| Research, analysis and evaluation | Quantity | Number of research reports, articles and papers prepared and publicly released. |
| Total Price Output 1.8 | $6.754m | |
Budget statements
Before you download
Some documents are available as PDF files. You will need a PDF reader to view PDF files.
List of PDF readers
If you are unable to access a publication, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.
Key
Links to another web site
Opens a pop-up window