Regional Land

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GUEST OBSERVATION
With drought ravaging Australia’s eastern states, much attention has been given to the need to provide short-term solutions through drought relief. But long-term resilience is a <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/2007GL031524" target="_blank">vital issue</a>, particularly as climate change adds further pressure to farmers and farmland.
Our <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7844/" target="_blank">research</a> has found that helping farmers improve the rivers, dams, native vegetation and trees on their land increases productivity, the resilience of the land to drought, and through this the health and well-being of farmers.
Now is the time to invest more heavily than ever in vital networks in regional Australia, such as Landcare and natural resource management groups like Local Land Services and Catchment Management Authorities.
Growing pressures on agricultural land
Some <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0143622814002793" target="_blank">researchers</a> suggest that up to 370 million hectares of land in Australia and the Pacific is degraded. This diminished productivity across such a large area has significant implications for the long-term sustainability of agricultural production.
Australia also has one of the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.pnas.org/content/112/15/4531" target="_blank">worst records</a> for wildlife diversity loss, including <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230817486_Impacts_of_red_meat_production_on_biodiversity_in_Australia_A_review_and_comparison_with_alternative_protein_production_industries" target="_blank">extensive loss</a> of biodiversity across much of our agricultural land. The problems of degradation and biodiversity loss are often <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/2007GL031524" target="_blank">magnified</a> under the pressure of drought.
The good news is that there are ways to strengthen the resilience of the farmland. One key approach is to invest in improving the condition of key natural assets on farms, like shelter belts, patches of remnant vegetation, farm dams, and watercourses.
When done well, active land management can help slow down or even reverse land <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">degradation</a>, improve <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/31727010?q&amp;sort=holdings+desc&amp;_=1540253638970&amp;versionId=209856779" target="_blank">biodiversity</a>, and increase <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7844/" target="_blank">profitability</a>.
Better lands make more money
Many <a href="http://fmnrhub.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Francis-Weston-Birch-2015-FMNR-Study.pdf" target="_blank">studies</a> have shown improving the natural assets on an farm can boost production, as well as avoid the costs of erosion and flood control. For example, restored riverbank vegetation can <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/pc/PC990028" target="_blank">improve</a> dry matter production in nearby paddocks, leading to greater milk production in diary herds and up to a <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">5%</a> boost in farm income.
Similarly, shelter belts (tree lanes planted alongside paddocks) can lower wind speeds and wind chill, and boost pasture production for livestock by up to <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books/about/Trees_for_Shelter?id=to0FxKcZ-8AC&amp;redir_esc=y" target="_blank">8%</a>, at the same time as providing habitat for <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7844/" target="_blank">biodiversity</a>.
Our own <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7844/" target="_blank">long-term work</a> with farmers who invested in their natural assets prior to, or during, the Millennium Drought in New South Wales suggests these farmers are currently faring better in the current drought.
Investing in resilience for the long-haul
Well-supported and resourced organisations like Landcare groups are pivotal to supporting effective land management, which improves degraded land and helps farmland (and farmer) through tough times.
However, Landcare and other natural resource management agencies have been subject to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/13/environment-funding-slashed-by-third-since-coalition-took-office" target="_blank">major budget cuts</a> over the past decade.
They are also a key part of the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/11139291?q&amp;versionId=45483041" target="_blank">social fabric</a> of rural communities, bringing together landowners to exchange ideas and support each other. Indeed, the Australian Landcare model is so well regarded globally it has been adopted in 22 other countries.
This drought is a critical decision point. The need to invest in maintaining and improving our vegetation, water and soil has never been more apparent than it is now. We have a chance to determine the long-term future of much of Australia’s agricultural land.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/105485/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
David Lindenmayer, Professor, The Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University
Michelle Young, Director, Sustainable Farms, Australian National University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-must-look-past-short-term-drought-solutions-and-improve-the-land-itself-105485" target="_blank">original article</a>.
Main photo: Lines of trees, called windbreaks or shelterbelts, can protect and improve the fields next to them. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peterfenda/11883603303/in/photolist-j77zf8-gs5twp-2yarvi-97rS4x-gctVvc-2zbPGZ-eZjZC9-n5u36E-qpbapj-i8u5i1-n5s6QM-pDrU3q-5YciLn-hvmtkA-23ZR5wr-dhZQg8-6WZjZQ-ayJwHt-25tYPnE-YFrUGJ-atxPZS-ppRWYA-RLZsrv-pDFgh2-hvnV3n-bWYiTp-Rpm12q-qArxKx-ntUjWJ-4zs3xh-nzZyew-5VyEeu-a5P87s-oaarB1-hvmW1N-hoPvL4-pLUKsC-5ZdRKT-Ek7o5-gmWNST-4AfTnR-iT6rNY-gqwGJr-gUM9Xb-MRXgiQ-5Zur7c-hvm2Pz-LymskZ-vaCtm-d4YfSh">Peter Fenda/Flickr</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a>
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

We must look past short-term drought solutions and improve the land itself

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AVID Property Group (AVID) has announced a new $25 million, 205-lot residential project in Melbourne's south-eastern growth suburb of Officer. 
The site will be AVID’s third residential community in Victoria, with the developer currently constructing the $1 billion, 1,658-lot master-planned community in Bloomdale, Diggers Rest and the 619-lot residential community Savana in Wyndham Vale. 
AVID Victoria general manager Peter Vlitas (below with development manager Chris Ravat) said the acquisition forms part of AVID’s ambitious national growth strategy, supporting its goal to triple the company’s size and value by 2021. 
“AVID’s new Officer development will be our next project in the highly sought-after south-eastern growth corridor, just 50kms from Melbourne’s CBD,” Vlitas said. 
“With all planning permits already in place, construction is set to commence quite quickly in early 2019.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/7/11/vlitis.jpg" alt="">
 
“Officer is well-placed to meet demand for the booming population of both Melbourne and nearby Dandenong CBD, creating more job opportunities and a wide range of housing options in the area.” 
“This acquisition is just another step forward for AVID, playing towards our company ambition to expand our residential portfolio and geographic footprint across the eastern seaboard,” he said. 
The Officer development will offer buyers a choice in lot sizes ranging from 200m2 to 550m2 and will feature a prominent one-hectare central park. 
“The south-east corridor has long been a very popular location for families to move to, offering growth, education and employment opportunities all located within a really beautiful location,” Vlitas said. 
“With four established schools located within a 100-metre radius and a further four in the surrounding vicinity, plus the metro train station and future Officer Town Centre only minutes from the site, Officer is an attractive choice for buyers looking for a good selection of facilities and local amenities.” 
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