Australian Natural Resources Atlas

Natural Resource Topics

Australian Catchment, River and Estuary Assessment 2002

National Land and Water Resources Audit, 2002
ISBN 0 642 37125 3

Making cross comparisons: example of agricultural flexibility

Social values and economic goals have a major influence on the management of natural resources and thus the condition of catchments.

Being able to cross-compare patterns of biophysical catchment condition with socioeconomic factors provides insights on sustainability, development suitability and capacity for particular management scenarios.

Figure 31 presents an example cross-comparison between catchment condition and agri-business flexibility, defined on the basis of biophysical factors associated with soil capability and rainfall.

The cross-comparison suggests that a proportion of moderate to poorer condition catchments (15-25%) have low flexibility in terms of options for agri-business enterprises. These catchments are in the cleared, agronomically marginal rainfall areas. They appear as a crescent shape through inland Australia at the margins of cropping.

Other catchments in relatively poor biophysical condition but with more reliable rainfall and greater land use flexibility have greater opportunity for recovery.

Figure 31: Cross comparison of catchment condition and agricultural flexibility.

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