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Environment Forest Ecosystems Forest Industries Forest Management Forest Products Greenhouse Gases NAFI Submissions Policy and Politics Renewable Energy Sustainability |
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Inquiry into Rural Water Resource UsageTo restore some form of environmental equilibrium to our catchments, it is essential to manage the landscape in a strategic manner.The growing concern over Australia's water resource usage and the competing demands for those resources are placing pressure on Governments to deliver an effective water property rights and allocation regime Any such regime should consider all of the competing water needs and put in place a system that delivers allocations on the basis of the economic, social and environmental outcomes. Water resources should be directed towards those landuse activities that provide the greatest overall benefits, while encouraging the most sustainable and efficient use of the limited water available. Targeted land areas could be reafforested (or afforested) to provide commercial resources for industry while simultaneously addressing biodiversity, salinity and greenhouse issues. Such tree crops would represent a very reasonable use of water: “…with careful planning, it is possible to minimise the hydrologic impacts of afforestation. “…catchments with less than 20%area planted exhibit little water yield effect. ” - (Vertessy et al, 2002) There is little point adding to the current rights system with additional regulatory controls that do not address the long-term needs of water users or the environment. If anything, such a piecemeal approach will deliver uncertainty over possible future changes in rights and allocations, adding needless risk to many investment decisions. |
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| Site development by Rendrag Networks, Canberra - Graphic design by Swell Design Group, Canberra | |