Natural resources

The SA Department of Agriculture has a long history in conserving soil, water, vegetation and other natural resources for the long-term benefit of the community.

It became actively involved in soil conservation in 1923 through administering the Sand Drift Act, the first of its kind in Australia. It also assisted agricultural industries to optimise productivity, by sustainably managing land and water resources.

By 1939, the state’s soil resources had degraded from over grazing and wheat-fallow rotations. The Department administered the Soil Conservation Act which proclaimed the formation of soil conservation districts. The corresponding administrative bodies were named as soils boards and were managed by landowners.

Technical support was provided to the boards from soils officers, appointed by the Department of Agriculture. This unique board system was successfully adopted by interstate agencies over the following half century. Boards also managed weed and pest animal control, and water resources.

Over the past 100 years, natural resource management has moved between different government agencies. The Department of Agriculture’s role has included these initiatives:

• committing the Soils Branch to sustainable agriculture through contour banking, contour furrowing, farm planning based on land use, and soil mapping
• developing water conservation measures in rural areas and efficient irrigation
• conserving pastoral areas through property plans, based on vegetation and soil associations and stocking rates
• state-wide involvement in sustainable land management, including tree planting which helped develop community landcare groups
• assisting with management of noxious weeds, rabbits, wild dogs and other pest animals.

A recent initiative involved consolidating conservation, water and pest authorities into regional natural resource management boards, under the Natural Resource Management Council.