New conservation guide boosts Reef protection

Queensland’s iconic Great Barrier Reef and precious land and water resources will benefit from new soil conservation guidelines released today.

Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dr Anthony Lynham launched the Soil Conservation Guidelines for Queensland to coincide with the Reef, Range and Red Dust Conference at the Sunshine Coast.

"Land degradation is widespread across Queensland and costs the state more than $2 billion per year in lost agricultural income, infrastructure damage and environmental impacts,” Dr Lynham said.

“These new guidelines provide a comprehensive manual for landholders, community-based Landcare and natural resource management groups, and government agencies to combat soil erosion and its impact on our land, waterways and the Great Barrier Reef.

“They will set the standard for managing land and rehabilitating areas where soil erosion is a problem.

“They will help landholders and primary producers manage their lands more sustainably and help make their property and farm business more productive.

“Similarly, local community-based land care and natural resource management groups can use the guidelines to determine the vegetation best suited to local conditions to plant to reduce soil loss or erosion on land, in gullies or along waterways.”

Dr Lynham said the Great Barrier Reef in particular would benefit from better soil conservation.

“Reducing soil erosion and sediment runoff along our river systems will improve the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef,” Dr Lynham said.

Science and Innovation Minister Leeanne Enoch said the new Guidelines were based on decades of evidence-based research by soil conservation scientists and agronomists.

“The guidelines provide a single source of information crucial to minimising soil erosion in Reef catchments,” she said.

The Soil Conservation Guidelines for Queensland 2015 are available at qld.gov.au/soilguide

[ENDS] 31 August 2015

Media contact:           Jan Martin       3719 7370       0439 341 314