Integrating Physical, Biological, Social and Economic Sciences for Dryland Salinity Management and Policy

Abstract

The earth sciences have made major contributions to the diagnosis and management of dryland salinity in Australia, and have influenced policy directions in a number of ways. However a well-balanced response to salinity requires the integration of information from a range of disciplines, including physical, biological, social and economic sciences. This paper discusses dryland salinity management and policy, bringing together key issues from each of those disciplines. At the farm level, beyond being consistent with hydrogeological knowledge, proposed responses need to be sufficiently economically attractive in the long term, and ideally should have other characteristics that promote widespread adoption among the farming community. At the policy level, the same farm-level issues are relevant to the selection of appropriate policy tools and the design of programs, and the issue is further complicated by the diversity of bio-physical and socio-economic circumstances that must be addressed, by the diversity of policy tools available, and by a number of other specific challenges that have emerged in recent years. We present a framework that has been developed to integrate the relevant information and allow improved investment decisions by catchment managers and policy makers in relation to dryland salinity. Application of the framework indicates the need for a number of important changes to Australia's national policy directions for salinity.