Mosaic Map: NRM funded projects
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Saline land trial in Lockyer Valley
Back in 1990, Phil Matthew began dreaming of a demonstration centre to show how to reclaim saline land and put salty water to good use.
Today his vision is becoming reality on a nine hectare salt pan on 'Darbalara Farm' in the Lockyer Valley between Ipswich and Toowoomba.
A demonstration and education site for saline land rehabilitation is being developed on the farm under a partnership between the University of Queensland and South East Queensland (SEQ) Catchments.
Funding
The Australian and State Governments have put $64,000 towards this progressive project.
Activities and achievements
"I'm really excited about developing the site - it's a project that would be every educator's dream," said Dr Matthew, Senior Lecturer in Soil and Water Management.
"The University of Queensland has been using the salt pan area on 'Darbalara' as part of its teaching on land degradation for many years.
"A rehabilitation field trial has already been developed with 1,000 native trees plus irrigation and drainage.
"We'll be able to expand this rehabilitation work and develop the site into a full teaching and research centre.
"This means it can be used not only by the University of Queensland and other universities, but by landcare groups, primary and secondary schools and the wider community.
"We'll be developing nine different treatment sites as model demonstration areas."
These cover:
- agro-forestry - including examples of trees adapted to saline and waterlogged environments
- riparian zone - a river management and development demonstration area
- marsh - an area of waterlogging-tolerant trees
- agro-forestry - showing different ways of using forests in saline areas using different mulches, drain types and combinations of the different methods
- salt-tolerant forage - using salt bush pasture to imitate natural pasture and demonstrate fodder production on saline lands
- salt-tolerant forage - using various pasture grasses and possible management regimes to help maintain animal production on saline sites
- hardwood plantation - showing management of land neighbouring saline sites and emphasising that saline area management goes beyond the directly affected land
- aquaculture research site
- water treatment research and demonstration.
More information
- Dr Phil Matthew: p.matthew@uq.edu.au
- SEQ Catchments: www.seqcatchments.com.au
See also
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