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Arid communities getting a better handle on rainfall patterns
Pastoralists in South Australia's vast, sparsely-populated Arid Lands are involved in a pioneering project to record rainfall to help manage the region's scarce water resources better.
There's been very little widespread, long-term monitoring of rainfall in the area. All that is known is that the rain cycle is unpredictable 'boom and bust'. Some years it may rain for short intense periods; others it may hardly rain at all.
Now the observations of a string of pastoralists from the Gawler and Flinders Ranges will be central to a new pilot project to record baseline information about rainfall events and their consequences. They are pulling together information both from their own historical knowledge and from new data.
This will help in evaluating the impact of human activities in the region and in making scientifically-credible management decisions about water.
Funding
The Water on Your Place project has received some $40,000 over two years from the Australian Government through the South Australian Arid Lands Natural Resources Management Board. Support has also been provided by the South Australian Government.
The project is being carried out by the University of South Australia.
Activities
Water On Your Place Project Manager Dr Ian Clark, of the University of South Australia, said property owners and managers would shortly begin recording rainfall information on an online recording template.
"It's intended to be a simple way to record rainfall events - things like the nature of the rainfall, its duration, its immediate impact on creek flow and flooding, as well as its effect on vegetation growth," Ian said.
The template can be adapted to suit individual properties and data can be for the property as a whole, or for individual paddocks or rain-gauge locations.
The project will both build pastoral community skills to help understand the land's carrying capacity and supply land managers with consistent scientific data about water resources.
"Without reliable data on natural rainfall cycles it's very hard to identify whether changes are occurring, and whether or not any change is a result of natural causes or human impacts," Ian said.
Achievements
Ian said the project would provide a cost-effective, credible and accessible information source for managing water resources.
"We're using technology to overcome the vast distances and low population base of this region, to gather information that in time will be really important for making judgements about the impact of human activities," he said.
More information
- Dr Ian Clark, Water On Your Place Project Manager, University of SA: (08) 8302 5245 or ian.clark@unisa.edu.au
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