I?ve just finished reading a very sobering article in this week?s -?Weekend
Australian Magazine? about Australia?s salinity problems in rural
Australia. The story is entitled ?White Death? and written by the
journalist, Nicolas Rothwell. If you haven?t yet read it, then I would
advise you to do so.
As most of you will probably know, the soil salinity problem is caused by
the removal of native vegetation, resulting in a rise in the water table,
which in turn brings salt to the ground surface.
The statistics presented in the article are horrifying:
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Area affected by salt Area affected by salt Probable area affected in
1982 (ha) in 1996 (ha) if no action (ha)
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WA 264,000 1,804,000 6,109,000
SA 55,000 402,000 600,000
VIC 90,000 140,000 Unknown
NSW Unknown 175,000 5,000,000
TAS Unknown 20,000 Unknown
QLD Unknown 10,000 74,000
NT Unknown Minor Unknown
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Most of us are aware of the salinity crisis in Australia and as, people
interested in birds, we are also aware of the effects it has on the
conservation of birds and their habitats. Nevertheless, it is heartening to
see that the issue has been picked up by the mainstream national media.
This magazine article aimed to shock the reader by presenting the facts,
along with graphic photographic images of salt-affected landscapes and
wetlands, but without any emotional rhetoric.
It is certainly worth a read, and we should use it as a tool in promoting
conservation in rural areas of mainland southern Australia while we have
the public's attention.
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Dr Stephen Ambrose
Research Manager
Birds Australia (Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union)
Australian Bird Research Centre
415 Riversdale Road,
Hawthorn East,
VIC 3123.
Tel: +61 3 9882 2622
Fax: +61 3 9882 2677
Email: S. Ambrose <> (at work)
<> (at home)
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