Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons^™

The Impact Of Mining And Mining Exploration On Range Resources And Pastoral Pursuits In The Pilbara, Gascoyne, Murchison And Goldfields Regions Of Western Australia, H J. Pringle, G A. Carter, J L. James, R E Y O'Connor

Resource management technical reports

Mining activity occurs very widely over relatively small areas of the rangelands. However, it is an intense landuse which can create significant offsite effects. Mining activity is most common around metamorphic 'greenstone' belts and broad drainages. Pastoralists reported both benefits and adverse affects as a consequence of mining activity. The main grievances related to unnecessary and excessive disturbance of pastoral land and the failure of operators to inform the pastoralist of their intentions.

Bulletin No 4174 - Tree Planting On Farms In High Rainfall Areas, Ken Angell

Bulletins 4000 -

Many of the techniques described in this Bulletin are applicable to broadacre farms. However, they are specifically directed to small rural properties in the high rainfall areas.

Trees can usually serve more than one purpose on small rural properties. They can be used as ornamentals, to provide shelter and shade, for erosion control, as a wildlife habitat, or for waterlogging and salinity control.

Fisheries Research Report No. 84 - The Marine Open Shelf Environment: Review Of Human Influences, D. A. Hancock

Fisheries Research Reports

For the purpose of this review, the marine environment has been classified into three physical zones - the littoral zone, the open-shelf environment and the coral reef. Since the boundaries are arbitrary, there will inevitably be some overlap, but for this review the subject matter will be related to the area between low water of ordinary spring tides and the edge of the continental shelf; i.e., to a depth varying to 200 metres.

Human influences may have a dual role in affecting the marine environment, firstly in a causative manner and secondly in providing a remedy, in which case the …

What Are Land Conservation Districts?, Western Australian Department Of Agriculture

Natural resources published reports

Land conservation groups need your support. Land degradation is not just a farming problem. We change the land and waters in many ways, whether it be clearing of precious natural bush or through the fertilizers which leach from our gardens.

By learning about the Land Conservation Districts achievements and understanding the challenges they face we can better see our own place in the scheme of things.

We will learn the ways to organize for Landcare in other rural areas, or in the city, that will be successful.

This is what the Decade of Landcare is all about - providing an …

Bulletin No 4168 - Plants In Australia Which When Eaten Produce Photosensitization In Livestock, T E H Aplin

Bulletins 4000 -

Photosensitization is the term used to describe inflammation of the skin (usually unpigmented) caused by photodynamic compounds, circulating in blood stream, becoming bound to dermal cells and fluorescing when the animal is exposed to ultraviolet light (290-400 nm).

Photosensitization usually occurs when an animal eats certain plants that contain photodynamic compounds. These compounds can be deposited unchanged in the skin after ingestion, the normal liver being incapable of excreting the native fluorescent compound. This is termed type 1 photosensitization and the compounds involved are naphthodianthrone derivatives. Photodynamic compounds can also be produced through aberrant metabolism by the liver due to …

Plantscan, Ted Lefroy, Fritz Droge

Natural resources published reports

PLANTSCAN is a network of schools and landholders throughout the wheatbelt of Western Australia. It aims to speed up the process of testing plants for their suitability to this environment.

This kit contains seed of various trees and shrubs and notes on how to grow them, plant them out into a small plot and record their progress.

Schools and landholders throughout the wheatbelt who have purchased this kit become part of a research network aimed at selecting plants that will:

* overcome soil erosion;

* overcome soil salinity;

* and provide a source of income for farmers.

The following sheets …

Rock Phosphates Are Poor Fertilizers For Non-Leaching Soils In South-Western Australia, Michael D A Bolland, Bob Gilkes

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Field experiments conducted on our non leachng soils from 1975 to 1988 have consistently shown that rock phosphates, compared with freshly applied superphosphate each year, are a relatively ineffective fertilizer in the year of application and in the years after application.

Erosion Potential Of Phomopsis-Resistant Lupins, D J. Carter, Paul Findlater

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

During lupin harvesting, up to 20 per cent of the grain remains on the ground. This non-harvested or pilt grain is a valuable feed for sheep during early summer because the pods, leaf and stem generally provide little nutrient in the stubnbles. In addition, the more efficient the weed control, the less valuable are the stubbles.

The disease lupinosis caused by Phomopsis leptostromiformis restricts the amount of grazing from the lupin stubbles, and hence the risk of wind-erosion of stubble paddocks.

However, the introduction of lupin varieties moderately resistant to Phomopsis and with reduced potential to cause lupinosis means that …

Frost Injury To Wheat, S P. Loss

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Frost injury has not been a major concern to the Western Australian wheat industry despite causing spectacular but irregular crop losses on some farms.

The development of suitable herbicides, direct drilling technology and the adoption of early flowering varieties in the late 1970s and early 1980s led to wheat crops being sown and flowering earlier than previously. This resulted in an increase in the incidence of frost damage.

Research into frost indicates that most wheat producers face low to moderate risks of yield loss caused by frost. However, individual farms in particular years can suffer devestating widespread losses. Grost injury …

The Effect On Farm Profit Of Conserving Stubble To Prevent Wind Erosion, A D. Bathgate

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Over-grazing of stubbles is a major cause of winf erosion on WesternAustralian farms. Stubble contributes to the 'roughness' of the paddock; as the roughness is reduced, the risk of winf erosion is increased.

The risk of lupinosis in sheep has previously reduced the likelihood of lupin stubble being over grazed, but the development of Gungurru, a phomopsis-resistent variety of lupin, has increased the potential for over-grazing and hence the probability of wind erosion.

This article describes the economic benefit (or cost) of conserving stubble at the conservation standards.

Saltland Management, Tim Negus

Natural resources published reports

Salt land problems in Western Australia are categorized into one of three types:

* Valley waterlogging

* hillside seepage

* dry land salt

Miscellaneous Production 23/87 - Animal Production In The Spinifex And Shrubland Regions Of Western Australia, D. Burnside

Animal production and livestock published reports

The role of the Rangeland Management Branch is to promote the sustained economic use of the rangeland resource. It provides research and extension services to the pastoral industry, provides advice on the condition of the range resource to Government and provides technical information on rangelands to other rangeland managers. A principal objective to be met in fulfilling that role is the development and promotion of economically efficient place systems that conserve the rangeland resource. At the inaugural Pastoral Soil Conservation Districts Conference in Meekatharra in May 1987, pastoralist delegates emphasized the importance of achieving that objective within the various soil …

An Inventory And Condition Survey Of Rangelands In The Ashburton River Catchment, Western Australia, A A. Mitchell, A L. Payne, W F. Holman

Technical Bulletins

The inventory and condition survey of rangelands in the Ashburton River catchment, undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) between 1976 and 1978, describes and maps the natural resources of the region’s pastoral leasehold land. This survey report provides a baseline record of the existence and condition of the natural area’s resources, to assist with the planning and implementation of land management practices. The report identified and described the condition of soils, landforms, vegetation, habitat, ecosystems, and declared plants and animals. It also assessed the impact of pastoralism and made land management recommendations. The area surveyed …

An Inventory And Condition Survey Of Rangelands In The Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia, A L. Payne, G F. Spencer, P J. Curry

Technical Bulletins

The inventory and condition survey of rangelands in the Carnarvon Basin, undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) between 1980 and 1982, describes and maps the natural resources of the region’s pastoral leasehold land. This survey report provides a baseline record of the existence and condition of the natural area’s resources, to assist with the planning and implementation of land management practices. The report identified and described the condition of soils, landforms, vegetation, habitat, ecosystems, and declared plants and animals. It also assessed the impact of pastoralism and made land management recommendations. The area surveyed covers …

Mogumber Drainage Works Succeed, L K. Lenane

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The loss of arable farmland from soil erosion, waterlogging and salinity is a severe problem on some Western Australian farms.

When the arable land comprises only 40 per cent of the total area within the Mogumber Soil Conservation District, this loss is a real cause for concern. So too is the resulting damage to roads, siltation of railway culverts, and deaths of roadside trees from rising saline watertables.

However, drainage, contour and other works undertaken by the Mogumber Soil Conservation District have halted this degredation. Badly eroded areas that were fenced off now have a satisfactory ground cover. A wheat …

Fisheries Report No 74 - Marine Resources Map Of Western Australia- Part 2 - The Influence Of Oil On Marine Resources And Associated Activities With An Emphasis On Those Found In Western Australia, H. E. Jones

Fisheries Research Reports

Part 1 of the text accompanying the marine resources maps dealt with the resources and the morphological, hydrological and meteorological characteristics of the Western Australian coastal environment. This subsidiary part is concerned with the effects of oil on marine resources and associated commercial and recreational activities.

Accounts of oil on the seas due to natural seepages appeared in Europe in the sixteenth century on the return of Spanish and Portuguese ships from voyages to the Americas. One of the earliest reports of oil pollution from a man-made source was in 1754 when leakages from wooden petroleum barges were prevalent in …

Kununurra Region - Land Utilization Report - 1984 Dry Season - 1984/85 Wet Season And 1985 Dry Season In The Ord River Irrigation Area, S. Sandover

Natural resources published reports

Kununurra Region

3rd edition

A small experimental farm was first established on the Ord River in 1941. This farm was relocated in 1945 to what is now known as the Frank Wise Institute of Tropical Agriculture.

The first stage of the Irrigation Scheme which included the Diversion dam was completed by 1963 and by 1966, 31 irrigated farms had been established.

In 1967 the second stage was commenced and by 1972 the main dam had been completed.

Cotton was the major crop until 1974. In the wet season of that year 3642 hectares was devoted to cotton. Various crops such …

Damage Report Of The West Coast Wildfires In The Cervantes-Hill River, North Lancelin And North Yanchep Areas January 1986 And The Effects On The Western Australian Beekeeping Industry, R C. Burking, A. C. Kessell

Apiculture research reports

No abstract provided.

Residual Values Of Australian Rock Phosphates, Michael D A Bolland

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

For years superphosphate has been the cheapest, convenient and most effective way of supplying phosphorus to newly cleared soils in Western Australia's South-West that are acutely deficient in phosphorus. However its effectiveness as a phosphorus source falls markedly after application. Regular applications are needed to maintaine profitable pastures and crops on these soils.

After a big jump in supperphosphate prices in the mid 970s, researchers tested the use of Australian rock phosphates as potentially cheaper alternative phosphorus fertilisers to superphosphate. On the none-leaching sands, as this article shows, none of the rock phosphates was as effective for plant growth as …

Damage Report Of The West Coastal Wildfire : Nilgen Nature Reserve And Adjacent Military Area, North Lancelin 29th-30th May 1985 And Its Effects On The Western Australian Beekeeping Industry, R C. Burking

Apiculture research reports

No abstract provided.

Damage Report Of The West Coastal Wildfire Wongonderrah Area 31st January - 5th February 1985 And Its Effects On The Western Australian Beekeeping Industry, R C. Burking

Apiculture research reports

No abstract provided.

Damage Report Of The West Coastal Wildfire (Jan 16-21, 1984) And Its Effects On The Western Australian Beekeeping Industry, R C. Burking, A. C. Kessell

Apiculture research reports

No abstract provided.

Algal Problems Of The Estuary, E. P. Hodgkin, P. B. Birch

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The Peel-Harvey esturine system study began in 1976 because people living near Peel Inlet complained about the accumulation of water weeds and algae on the shores and the smell of hydrogen sulphide (rotton egg gas) that resulted from their decomposition. From 1974 efforts had been made to control this 'algal problem' by raking up the weed with tractors and carting it away. This 'cosmetic activity had little impact on the problem.

The immediate cause was obvious: a carpet of green algae covering about 20square kilometres of the bottom of Peel Inlet. From time to time this 'goat weed' floated to …

Soil Types And Drainage, Eric Bettenay, N. J. Schofield

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

At least 90 per cent of the phosphorus entering the Peel-Harvey estuarine system comes from land cleared for agriculture, most of it from the coastal plain. These soils are naturally deficient on phosphorus and sulfur and this is supplied in superphosphate, which contains about 10 per cent phosphorus and 1 percent sulphur.

However, rain leaches some of this applied phosphorus from the land into drains and rivers which flow into the estuary. In 1981, farmers in the Harvey River-Mayfields Drain catchment lost the equivalent of 1,300 tonnes of superphosphate into the estuary. Between them they have in effect spent $120,000 …

The Extension Programme, W K. Russell, G. K. Palmer

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

From the start of the Peel-harvey study in 1976, scientific research and extension have been closely linked. Trials, some involving major drainage works, have been set up on about 30 farms and several field days and seminars have been held.

The Peel-Harvey Study Group anticipates that farmer acceptance of the Department of agriculture's recommendations will reduce the phosphorus input to the estuary by 30 to 40 per cent over the next three to five years. At the same time farmers will benefit from modified cultural practices better suited to the sandy soils of the coastal plain.

The Soil Phosphorus Store, G S P Ritchie, D. M. Weaver

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The management of the soil phosphorus store, or 'super bank' to minimise phosphorus leaching losses is a vital part of any strategy to reduce algal pollution of the Peel-Harvey estuary.

Phosphorus can exist in the soil in four main 'pools'. it may occur in the soil solution or in one of the three pools that contain phosphorus in solid forms. This phosphorus can be in compounds (fertilisers, dead plant material); adsorbed (attached) to soil particles such as organic matter, clay and iron oxide; or as constituents of micro-organisms.

Report No 49 - Geographically Restricted Plants Of Southern Western Australia, Barbara L. Rye

Fisheries Research Reports

This publication lists 527 angiosperm species native to southern western Australia whose known geographical ranges are less than 100 kilometres long. A further 128 angiosperms are listed with geographical ranges between 100 and 160 kilometres. No fern or gymnosperm species in the region are known to be geographically restricted.

Apart from the presently unnamed species, a large majority of the rare plants of southern Western Australia are believed to be listed, including 86 of the species that have been gazetted as rare flora.

Less than 40% of the listed species are known to occur on conservation reserves and less than …

Report No 41 - A Survey Method For Identifying Roadside Flora Suitable For Conservation In Western Australia, John K. Scott

Fisheries Research Reports

A survey method for identifying flora suitable for conservation alongside roads in south-western Australia was derived from an examination of characteristics of road verges. Two roads, from Midland to Toodyay and from Armadale to Bunbury, were examined. Width of verge, weed cover, soil disturbance, vegetation structure, presence of public utilities, evidence of fire and the type of adjoining land were measured at one mile (1.6 km) intervals on both sides of the road. Also recorded were aesthetic qualities such as stands of beautiful trees and sites of special interest, e.g. the presence of rare plants.

Three variables, percentage weed cover, …

Report No 40 - Commercially Exploited Vacsular Plants Native In Western Australia: Census, Atlas And Preliminary Assessment Of Conservation Status, Barbara L. Rye, S. D. Hopper, L. E. Watson

Fisheries Research Reports

A census and atlas is provided of 1 119 native Western Australian plant species which were commercially exploited during 1977-79 in the cut plant, nursery or seed trades. The exploited species are concentrated in the vicinities of Perth and Albany, the two matin centres for the wildflower industry. Preliminary assessments of the conservation status of the exploited species are provided. Approximately r200 species are regarded as being rare, geographically or poorly collected, and further studies are recommended for these species to determine whether they are in danger of overexploitation.

Bulletin 3992 - Nitrogenous Fertilisers For Cereal Production, M. G. Mason

Bulletins - 3000 - 3999

Because fertiliser prices continue to rise, it is becoming increasingly important to understand what affects the response to fertilisers by crops.

Among the many factors influencing crop response to nitrogen applications, the most important are the season, soil type, paddock history, time of application and source of nitrogen. Before deciding whether to use nitrogen on a cereal crop, which source to use and at what rate, the farmer needs some understanding of how these factors work.