PROPOSAL FOR
REVEGETATION OF ONE MILLION HECTARES OF WHEATBELT SALTLAND IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
DISCUSSION DOCUMENT - Please see Action note on last page.
PREAMBLE
Western Australia is predicted to have continuing increases in salt-affected land from the present 1.8 million hectares up to a total of the order of 6 million hectares despite efforts to use more water in the agricultural landscape (The Salinity Strategy, March 2000). Secondary salt-affected land is the most erosive in the landscape, generates the most and fastest run-off, is the poorest habitat and worst eyesore and threatens other developments. When agricultural land becomes salt-affected its production drops dramatically, with serious economic implications for the farmers and their families.
The Government of Western Australia through the State Salinity Council has prepared 'The Salinity Strategy', outlining the nature of the problem and the approaches to be taken for its treatment. A second document, titled, 'Salinity Actions', indicates the actions to be taken. One of those actions is for AGWEST, CALM and the Saltland Pastures Association to focus on the productive use of saline land. Salinity Actions has included the Saltland Pastures Association's initiative for revegetation of one million hectares of saline land over the next ten years. The implementation of the initiative is the subject of this proposal.
BACKGROUND
Research indicates that salt encroachment is caused by the movement of unused rainfall below the root zone of crops to join the watertable. This water moves below ground so slowly that in many cases, such as the broad valleys of the wheatbelt, on-site recharge in the valleys is the major cause of the salinity problem. One major practical and economic way to counteract the problem in these areas is to revegetate the saline valley floors. Research at Agriculture WA and development efforts by Western Australian farmers and companies has provided the technology to make salt-affected land productive using forage halophytes. The technology includes:
The technology has been in use for about twenty years and there are farmers who are making money from their saltland. The grazing production is available for use in the autumn when forage is scarce and it makes a special contribution to the overall farm enterprise.
There are additional benefits. Revegetation controls erosion, mitigates flooding, improves habitat and uses water thereby lowering the groundwater levels (See Appendix 1 for a more detailed discussion of the benefits of revegetation). It has been observed that birds return to revegetated saline areas and natural plant species volunteer when there is grazing protection.
Revegetation of saline land creates a new source of income, without competing with any other land use. This contrasts with, for example, planting trees on productive agricultural land e.g. oil mallees, maritime pine.
A relatively small number of farmers have availed themselves of the technology. The barriers to adoption include low wool prices, unfamiliar technology, need for different machinery which they do not have, need for new management knowledge and pre-occupation with other aspects of farming. There is also a need for improved ways to identify the best areas for revegetation to extend the good results on some farms to the majority. With the predictions of increasing salinity it is becoming increasingly important for action to be taken to revegetate salt-affected land for public as well as private benefits.
None of the factors which has hindered adoption in the past has changed significantly. It is unlikely that broadscale revegetation would be undertaken by farmers unless new factors are introduced into the decision making process. New factors which are the basis for this proposal are:
When salt-affected land is planted to halophyte shrubs for grazing, the shrubs develop a woody framework of branches and a substantial root system. Grazing by sheep removes the leaves and the small sticks leaving the roots and branches. The root system and the branches are fully developed by about year three. There are in existance examples of shrub stands over twenty years old and still in use for grazing. This proposal explores the possibility of obtaining carbon credits to help pay for the establishment of halophyte shrub pastures.
Carbon credits are needed by organisations such as Western Power, Woodside Petroleum and BHP as well as many overseas companies. There is a need for a body, presumably a company, to undertake the role of negotiating with those who need the carbon credits. The same body would negotiate with farmers for areas of saline land for revegetation. Contracts would have to be drawn up for revegetation and for the farmer to maintain the integrity of the carbon bank so established. There would also have to be put in place a verification system, probably using satellite imagery, to ensure that the carbon bank was established and remained intact. It may be necessary for the monitoring function to be carried out by a third party. As there is a substantial public interest in having the revegetation done it should be possible to arrange that the public sector puts in place an adequate system of verification.
Biodiversity conservation is identified as one of the aims of the Salinity Strategy. It is proposed that the conservation of biodiversity can be incorporated as one of the aims of the revegetation of saline land on farms. Just as remnants of bush are set aside in special reserves on farms, a proportion of the revegetated land can be designated for biological conservation as a reciprocal action by the farmer for assistance with revegetation and fencing. Under Salinity Actions, CALM will have programmes for the survey of saline land for biodiversity and storage of seeds for revegetation.
There is a further possible benefit from the proposal. There are many countries (and other States in Australia) where revegetation of degraded land is an urgent necessity. Many of these countries are poor and cannot afford to pay for it to be done. If the work can be done in exchange for carbon credits, the skills and experience developed in Western Australia may be able to be exported to achieve major revegetation projects elsewhere.
PROPOSAL
It is proposed to revegetate one million hectares of salt-affected land with halophytic forage shrubs for forage production, carbon sequestration and environmental improvement in the Western Australian wheatbelt.
BASIS FOR PROPOSAL
The motivation for the project is the urgent need to revegetate saline land to provide a return for affected farmers and to ameliorate the environment. Belief that the value of the carbon credits earned by a stand of shrubby halophytes will help pay for the establishment cost is the added incentive. Farmers would contract to maintain the stand's integrity as a carbon sink. It is proposed that there is a sufficient public benefit in having the saline soils revegetated that the verification costs should be bourne by the public sector. Farmers would have the option of agreeing to allocate a section of the revegetated land for biological conservation in return for assistance with establishment and fencing costs. Farmers could include at their own expense the sowing of grasses such as Puccinellia and Tall Wheat Grass and annual species such as Balansa clover with the forage shrubs.
Saline land, a new resource - Farmers in Western Australia have shown that saline land is capable of providing off season forage which can be used to substantially increase the overall carrying capacity of their farms. This technology has been in use for up to twenty years on farms. Reported carrying capacities exceed those of non-saline pastures on the same farms in some cases. The availability of halophyte shrub pastures on saline land enables farmers to adopt strategies such as deferring grazing on non-saline annual pastures after the break of the season and reducing the time spent on hand feeding during seeding. The halophyte shrubs are responsible for lowering groundwater levels and ameliorating the soil sufficiently to allow less salt tolerant species to grow and improve the quality of the mixture of forage available. Managed appropriately, forage shrub stands have been observed to produce for twenty years.
Environmental benefits - Revegetation with halophytic forage shrubs and grasses provides many public and private benefits including erosion control, flood mitigation, watertable lowering and habitat improvement. The environmental benefits can be increased further by including non-forage plants of importance for biological conservation in the revegetation programmes and giving them special protection on a proportion of the revegetated land. Co-ordination of these areas on adjacent farms may provide corridors for biological conservation.
Carbon sequestered by a halophyte stand - There are limited data on the amount of woody biomass produced by a stand of halophytes. In an experiment north of Kellerberrin stands of Atriplex spp yielded up to 1.5 to 2 t/ha of ash free grazeable material. Measurements of the woody component were not made but could be expected to be at least equivalent to half of the grazeable matter making a total aerial component of the shrubs of up to 3 t/ha. Roots are generally found to be roughly equal to tops in mass, or, 3 t/ha in this case making a total of 6 t/ha of biomass. Only the ungrazed parts of bushes could be considered for carbon credits i.e. 4 t/ha. Of the biomass about 50% can be assumed to be carbon, or, in this case 2 t/ha which if carbon credits are worth $30 per tonne gives a total of $60 for 2 tonnes. These figures are only indicative and research is needed to determine the actual carbon levels sequestered. However, there are several ways to promote the production of Atriplex spp biomass and none of them was used in the experiment at Kellerberrin. The methods are, fertiliser, soil ripping, selection of high yielding strains and selection of sites best suited to the growth of the species being planted. There is good reason to believe that the yields could be substantially increased at least on some sites.
Costs of establishment - Stands of halophyte forage shrubs are established for prices ranging from 3-15 cents per bush. It is common to plant about 1500 per hectare, equivalent to an establishment cost of $57-225 per ha, including machine hire. The price can vary depending on whether a farmer owns or hires the seeding equipment with or without an operator and whether the farmer harvests his own seeds. If there was a good demand for revegetation it should be possible to improve efficiency and lower the price.
Costs of verification - There is a need for the amount of carbon in the established stands to be verified in order that carbon credits may be paid. There is a strong public interest in having saline land revegetated. It is beneficial to prevent erosion of the soil resource (saline soils are the most erosive in the landscape), to stop the flow of salt into streams, to lower groundwater levels, to improve habitat for wildlife, and to sequester carbon. It is proposed that there is sufficient public interest to justify public expenditure on development and implementation of the verification system.
REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS
For the project to proceed the following factors would need to be in place:
1 Technology that is proven in practice. There are a number of operators who have done revegetation on their own farms and/or have carried out contract revegetation on other properties. The experience of these persons would be invaluable for the project. These persons will also be seen to be practical farmers in whom other farmers can put their trust. It will be necessary to engage these persons to assist in training and advice for the implementation of the revegetation programme. It is vitally important to view the revegetated areas in the context of the whole farm enterprise in each case and the current examples show how this can be done.
2 Technology that is based in sound research. Research programmes in WA led to the successful examples of revegetation of saline land on which this project is based but have been run down. Extrapolation of the current successes to one million hectares of saline land will require:
Under Salinity Actions, AGWEST, CALM and the SPA are to seek funding from R & D corporations for the development of new technology. CSIRO is currently considering esablishing a programme of research on animal production systems on saline land. Limited funding would be required for developing the verification system. Implementation would be an ongoing expense of the order of three cents per hectare and would require a commitment from the government.
3 Technology that is clearly defined. It will be necessary to provide the following technical back-up for the programme:
4 Wide acceptance of the technology by farmers, scientists and the community. The SPA has been responsible for a major change in perceptions of the value of saltland pastures in the last two or three years. The importance of revegetation of saline land is emphasised in Appendix 1. A working relationship should be established between AGWEST, CALM and the SPA to promote the project. Co-operative arrangements should be established with other farmer groups such as the WAFF, PGA, Liebe Group, the Kondinin Group and the landcare movement. Finally, the project should be promoted to the community generally.
5 Monitoring systems would need to be established. The effects of the revegetation project on groundwater levels and biological conservation will need to be monitored. The assistance of AGWEST, CALM and the NLWRA in this task will be sought and would include co-operation with other systems currently in existance. There has been minimal attention to studying the effects of saltland revegetation on the environment. There is a need for baseline studies and the development of methods for monitoring the plantings from the points of view of ensuring the validity of the carbon sinks, assessing the value of the forages to the farming systems and monitoring the environmental effects.
6 A favourable cost/benefit analysis comparing income from carbon credits with costs of establishment. There is a need for a full assessment of the likely carbon sequestration by halophyte forage shrubs and a detailed costing of the establishment options together with an assessment of the reaction of farmers to the availability of money for carbon credits. The project will be promoted to the Australian Greenhouse Office for inclusion in Greenhouse Challenge as a case study.
7 Quality assurance checks will be put in place. The project will develop GMO free, clean and green and environmentally audited brands for its outcomes. (c.f. Liebe group)
8 Partnerships will need to be established with other groups involved in revegetation and biodiversity management, including, the Low Rainfall Revegetation Group, Perrenial Crops and Forages Project (W. Porter), Greening Australia and Land for Wildlife.
PHASES OF THE PROJECT
The following phases would have to be undertaken, not necessarily in chronological order:
- negotiate with farmers and draw up contracts for revegetation to be carried out and conservation of the areas guaranteed.;
- negotiate protocols for carbon credits and match them to the revegetation; and,
- put in place the necessary arrangements for the sequestered carbon to be confirmed.
The nature of the organisation will be dealt with in the feasibility study and business plan.
ACTION
This discussion document has been prepared by the Saltland Pastures Association for consideration by all of the agencies involved. Please return comments to the President, Mr Michael Lloyd, Private Bag, Post Office, Lake Grace, 6353, WA. Phone 98712041, Fax 98712062. Email: <mjlbundilla@bigpond.com> Alternatively contact may be made with the Vice President Clive Malcolm Ph/FX 98481437, email cmalcolm@denmarkwa.net.au
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