Alexandra Murray’s (Lachlan CMA) presentation on how the use of soils databases by the Lachlan CMA has evolved. Made to members and guests of the Riverina Branch of the Australian Society of Soil Science at a Soils Database Workshop, Albury-Wodonga campus of Charles Sturt University, on the 7 June 2013

1. How the Lachlan CMA has
evolved to use soil databases
Alex Murray and Ian Packer

2. Lachlan CMA Land Theme
• Incentives for Land Management/Soil health
– Open Incentive process
– Review and Reference Group –Prioritisation and
training
– Prioritisation and ground truth practice change
data

3. Conservation farming incentives, the area of
land suitable for conservation farming and the
priority areas

4. 2005/6 Lachlan CMA Review and
Reference Group- Prioritisation
• Review of the Land Theme program and
incentive investment:
– Review of targets showed non achievement of
outcomes
• Established a review panel
– Recommendation
• prioritisation of target areas
• training linked to incentives

5. Databases used for Prioritsation
• Soil Landscape Maps
• Land Capability
• Sodic Surface Maps (Brian Murphy and John
Lawrie)
• Catchment Management Support System
Model (CMSS)
• SedNet Modelling
• Salinity Risk Assessment (DIPNR, 2004)

6. Prioritsation Process
• Identified Stressed River Catchments
– 13 in cropping zone
• Ranking through Rubric tool
• Allocation of $$ to highest ranked catchments
• Funding allocated-unengaged landholders
– Lower uptake of incentives and training

7. Prioritisation Round 4 (2007/8)
Red - Highest prioritisation area
Orange – Second highest priority
Green – no machinery incentives offered- only training

8. DustWatch-State-wide dust monitoring program
(John Leys,OEH)
• Established in 2005, 8 DustWatch gauges
(Dustrak) installed over catchment
• DustWatch monitoring is linked to a Catchment
Condition (Roadside) Survey, of erosion (wind and
water) and land management practices
• Lachlan CMA supported since 2007, the biannual
Catchment Condition Survey is conducted at 444
geo-located sites over catchment

9. Route and site location for roadside survey of
Autumn ( March 2013)

10. Benefits of Catchment Condition Surveys
• Potential to direct Land theme design and
prioritisation of investment
• Evidence of land management practice change
– impact on wind and water erosion, ground cover type
and amount
• Time series of management practices
– crop rotations, cropping and grazing practices,
pasture types and fallowing methods and lengths
• Categorisation into groupings
– Social ecological systems
– Land management groupings e.g. grazing, arable and
rangeland regions

11. Challenge ahead
- Prioritisation of biophysical aspects are
achievable
- Social issues are the blockage to adoption
• Challenge -
– Engaging unengaged/non willing land managers
– Social acceptance of change and adoption
–How can soil database/catchment database
be used with social science to improve
adoption to improve soil health