Modelling complex systems such as multiple-use reservoirs can be challenging. A legitimate question for scientists and modellers is how best to model their management under uncertain rainfall. This paper studies whether it is worth using a stochastic model that requires more effort than a much...

Using renewable energy for domestic consumption has been identified as a key strategy by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Critical to the success of this strategy is to know whether consumers are willing to pay to increase the proportion of...

The Fitzgerald River National Park is one of the world’s 25 biological hotspots, containing many endemic flora and fauna species. Its unique biodiversity is being threatened by the introduced root pathogen, Phytophthora cinnamomi. We evaluate the cost-effectiveness of strategies to manage...

Oil mallees are one of the preferred options to combat dryland salinity in the Western Australian wheatbelt, but their economics are uncertain. We compare three scenarios: on-farm mallee oil production, industrial oil and wood-based electricity production, and a combined oil, electricity and...

New information about the hydrogeology of Australia’s agricultural regions has profound implications for the economics of salinity management and the design of policy. This paper reviews a broad range of information relevant to the salinity problem in order to critically evaluate existing and...

Natural resource management organisations in Australia routinely establish resource condition targets in their regional plans/catchment strategies. We reviewed biodiversity, water and community resource condition targets set by Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) in Victoria and New South...

Future concerns about the quality and quantity of Australia’s fresh water supplies from salinisation has necessitated the need for action. Several options exist to secure fresh water supplies for the future, including revegetation, engineering methods, and desalination. Revegetation and...

Perceptions of a salinity ‘crisis’ in Australia around 2000 resulted in the establishment of a major national program that aimed to prevent, stabilize, and reverse trends in salinity. The National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality allocated A$1.4 billion of public funds to 1700...

Hydrologists predict that salinity in the agricultural region of Western Australia will eventually affect an average of 30 percent of the landscape if nothing is done to reduce current levels of recharge. The scale of tree planting and other works thought to be required for controlling salinity...

Appropriate management and policy responses for dryland salinity vary depending on biophysical and socio-economic conditions, and on the resources in question (water resources, biodiversity, infrastructure, agricultural land, salt-affected land). In this paper we present a framework for...