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A Bird's Eye View of Australia's Biggest Water User
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Jul 12, 2005 Water management practices employed by the Murray and Murrumbidgee basins' $3.1 billion irrigation industry have substantially improved over the past decade according to research findings released today by CSIRO's Water for a Healthy Country Flagship. A report compiled by the Cooperative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures (CRC IF) for the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, found that the industry has also begun to explore opportunities for balancing the use of water for agricultural and environmental purposes. The CRC IF's Dr Wayne Meyer says the findings cover a wide range of issues including the motivations for change and areas where further improvements would substantially improve regional sustainability. "There is enough evidence to indicate that every irrigated commodity can further improve its water productivity and profitability and in many cases the industry is already along this path," Dr Meyer says. "Dairy water productivity, for example, has shown considerable improvement over the last decade and there are good examples of greatly improved production systems from intensive summer fodder to pasture-under-spray systems. "Increased productivity also needs to be stimulated and accompanied by greatly improved water distribution systems, potentially freeing up 30-40% of current water use, providing opportunities for returns to the environment and irrigation development," Dr Meyer says. CRC IF Chief Executive, Matthew Durack, says the report highlights the importance to farmers of considering profit-versus-risk factors when deciding their irrigation requirements for particular cropping mixes. "Irrigators apply a much more complex assessment protocol to crop selection than simple measures of gross return per ML often quoted in policy documents. This leads to resilient, adaptive and increasingly sustainable irrigation communities," Mr Durack says. The findings complement recent research by CSIRO for the Pratt Water Group that identified the potential to save approximately 295 GL of water in the Murrumbidgee and Coleambally Irrigation Areas, while maintaining the current crop area and significantly reducing the environmental impacts of irrigation. Flagship Director Colin Creighton says irrigation efficiency gains will improve profitability, allow for further irrigation development and equally importantly, increase environmental outcomes. "Successful research involves collaboration - especially our scientist working with those that will lead the change. Our aim is to ensure there is a real benefit from Australia's substantial investment in both irrigation and ecological research." Related Links For Copies of the Report SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
Humans More Equipped Than Ever To Understand Sea Level Change
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 08, 2005For the first time, researchers have the tools and expertise to understand the rate at which sea level is changing and the mechanisms that drive that change. |
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