PUBLIC TALK: Friends of the Library talk

Salinisation is one of those forms of degradation of Australia’s natural environment where the adverse effects have been overstated, and the bulk of the suggested strategies for improving sustainability have either been over-optimistic, misguided, or just plain wrong. Although most of the complaints are undoubtedly true, over the next generation, it seems increasingly likely that the world will face a “perfect storm” in agriculture – a food crisis associated with the coincidence of climate change, “peak oil” and “peak phosphorus”. Water resources could be an important part of the solution to this larger crisis.

Saline agriculture can be defined as the use of salt tolerant plants and improved land management to obtain productive use and economic value from saline land and water resources. This talk will draw on the research experiences of a range of colleagues from WA and interstate operating in two Cooperative Research Centres.