History of natural resources management in SA
1836–2024
Natural Resource Management in South Australia has developed in response to significant land degradation and the need for measures to encourage the conservation of water, land and biodiversity.
The following summary details the past to present journey of natural resources management in South Australia from 1836 to 2024.
Early settlement and environmental impact
The South Australian landscape has been continually modified since the first European settlers arrived. Land was cleared of native vegetation for agricultural production and used to graze cattle and sheep. Water was dammed and used for both irrigation and supporting the development of South Australian towns and cities. Many animal and plant species were introduced and became invasive, significantly impacting large areas.
During this period of settlement, growing demand on natural resources saw agricultural systems begin to fail. The community sought collective action and controls on the management and use of resources. The response by the government was to legislate. Numerous Acts were introduced to protect these natural resources.
Later, programs were funded by the South Australian government to improve knowledge on managing South Australian natural resources for a sustainable future. A great deal of progress has been made in improving the sustainable use of the good agricultural land and rehabilitating significant areas of environmental importance.
Integrated natural resource management
The history of natural resource management in South Australia has been one of discovering issues and then applying legislation and programs to address them. After much community debate towards a more holistic approach to these problems, natural resource management became integrated with the passing of the Natural Resources Management Act 2004 and later the Landscape South Australia Act 2019.
This development in natural resource management has been a long journey and it will continue to adjust in the future. The important thing is that it is addressed, with legislation introduced and updated regularly to underpin the communities progress at the time.
Legislative responses to environmental challenges
The first South Australian colonists rapidly changed the environment and one of the first impacts noticed was infestations of non-native plants resulting from seeds hidden in imported fodder, packing materials, ballast, and in seed for sowing. By the early 1850s thistles were rapidly spreading across all the cleared land, taking natural advantage once the trees and under-story had been removed for cropping and grazing. At the same time, a large number of dogs and dingoes were causing nuisance and damage to property. Following the formation of the Legislative Council in July 1851, these specific issues were considered and resulted in The Thistle Act 1851 and the Dogs Act 1852. Both Acts provided for enforced control.
Between 1852 and 1975 the various Acts relating to pest animal and weed management alternated between species specific legislation (examples include African boxthorn, camels and sparrows) and those Acts that consolidated control on a theme, such as vermin or weeds. These Acts were in response to new incursions or the failure of previous legislation.
It was not until the mid-1980s that the differing Acts for controlling pest animals and weeds were integrated with the passing of the Animal and Plant Control (Agricultural Protection and Other Purposes) Act 1986 and the subsequent amalgamation into one of the 2 distinct systems at State and local levels.
The Water Conservation Act 1886 aimed to conserve water by providing for the establishment of water districts and water conservancy boards. These had the combined responsibility to collect, conserve, sell and distribute water in the district. Further important developments for sustainably managing water in the State were enacted including:
- the River Murray Waters Act 1916 to regulate the flow and control of river water
- the Control of Waters Act 1919 for more general control of River Murray and other natural waters, including the introduction of water licensing
- the Underground Waters Preservation Act 1959 to prevent the contamination and deterioration of ground water.
The Water Resources Act 1976 was the first integrated water resources management legislation in Australia. With the introduction of the Catchment Water Management Act 1995, a quantum leap forward was made for water resources management in the State.
It was not until the middle of the 1970s that the need to provide more flexible and responsive legislative provisions was finally achieved with there being basically 4 Acts, one each for soil conservation, water resources management, pest animal control and weed control.
Farmers in the early 1900s, being concerned with wind erosion resulting from extensive overgrazing, initiated soil conservation and petitioned to the government for assistance. It was however, 20 years before legislation addressed this problem through the Sand Drift Act 1923. Although restricted in its area of operation, the Act was a great step forward and allowed an owner of land to take action against their neighbour should their land be threatened by drifting sand. During the 1930s, soil erosion reached disastrous levels largely due to the wheat and fallow rotations and overgrazing, with droughts and rabbits adding to the problem. This forced more attention on legislative methods to counter soil erosion. The scale of the problem was a national issue and not unique to SA.
The Soil Conservation and Land Care Act 1989 was developed to provide more extensive information on the soil and land natural resource base in South Australia. This comprehensive legislation provided for district planning and monitoring, aiming to address broader natural resource issues related to land management.
South Australia was also in the forefront of introducing developments for native vegetation conservation. The Native Plants Protection Act 1939 was followed by the Native Vegetation Management Act 1985, the latter to control the clearance and to facilitate the management, of native vegetation. SA was the first Australian State to introduce restrictions on the clearance of native vegetation and introduce programs to replant parts of the landscape.
An attempt was made in 1998 to integrate natural resource management, but this was overtaken by a revised approach 4 years later and resulted in the passing of the Natural Resources Management Act 2004. This legislation responded to the need to align policies and programs of the disparate statutory bodies, and to make sure a legal framework would deliver funding programs established under Intergovernmental Agreements. The new Act replaced 3 Acts related to animal and plant control, soil conservation and water resources management. The best of the institutional arrangements were revised into a new structure with the operational provisions being updated and moved across to provide a large degree of consistency and minimum change, except where it was needed. The Act also provided a vehicle for the implementation of key Australian Government programs, such as Caring for Our Country.
This Act was further refined 15 years later with the enactment of the Landscape South Australia Act 2019 which aimed to promote sustainable and integrated management of the State's landscapes, and to protect the State's natural resources.
Institutional arrangements for resource management
As the size and nature of the pest, disease, soil and water challenges were developing, the extensive suite of legislative responses led to different institutional arrangements, many of which were the direct response of the Government to implement the legislation.
Pest animal and weeds legislation passed until the early 1900s, when it was implemented either by local government or by statutory district boards. This continued until the establishment of a Central Advisory Body under the Weeds Act 1956. During the mid-1970s this was further expanded with the establishment of statewide authorities and local boards for each of the pest animals and weeds functions – these 2 major functions were amalgamated under the Animal and Plant Control Act of 1986.
The Water Conservation Act 1886 established water conservancy boards to implement the legislation. This arrangement was maintained until 1936 when this aspect of water management returned to central government control. The Water Resources Act 1975 then established a central advisory body. It was not until the passing of the Catchment Water Management Act 1995 that authority was given to regionally based catchment water management boards to implement the legislation.
Soil erosion and landscape degradation continued to pose major problems, and the Soil Conservation Act 1939 established district-based soil conservation boards. The Soil Conservation and Landcare Act 1989 expanded the local board system, particularly with encouragement to establish land care groups.
Further changes occurred with the passing of the Natural Resources Management Act 2004. This integrated the animal and plant control, water management and soil conservation institutional arrangements under regional NRM boards with a central advisory council, all provided with technical support from land management agencies.
With the passing of the Landscape Act 2019, the regional NRM boards were replaced by regional landscape boards, and representation from interested agencies at the board level was removed.
South Australia's leadership in NRM
South Australia has been in the forefront of introducing natural resources management legislation:
- The Thistle Act 1851 was the first weed control legislation in Australia and, as far as we can ascertain, in the world.
- As far as we know the Water Conservation Act 1886 was the first water conservation legislation in Australia.
- The Rabbit Destruction Act 1875 was the second rabbit control legislation in Australia (after Tasmania).
- The Sand Drift Act 1923 was the first soil conservation legislation in Australia.
- The Native Vegetation Management Act 1985 was the first legislation in Australia to introduce restrictions on the clearance of native vegetation.