Acidification: A form of land degradation where soils become increasingly acidic due to human activities such as applying fertilisers or introducing leguminous pastures. Agroforestry or Farm Forestry: The integration of tree crops with the traditional agricultural practices of grazing livestock and cropping. Algal bloom: The rapid and excessive growth of algae in a water body caused by favourable growing conditions and high nutrient levels. Alkaline (soil): Describes the properties of a soil with a high level of carbonates of calcium and/or sodium. Soil alkalinity is measured using the pH scale. A soil with a pH of greater than 7.5 is considered to be alkaline.
At-risk: A term used to describe a species, community or ecosystem that does not fit into formal IUCN categories for threatened, however current information suggests that it/they are at risk of being declared as threatened, without management actions.
Bilateral agreement: is an agreement between two parties — in this case the Commonwealth and the State of Western Australia.
Biodiversity: An abbreviation of ‘biological biodiversity’ and refers to the variety of all life forms – the different plants, animals and micro-organisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystems of which they form a part. It is generally used to refer to local native biological elements (e.g. species) and not introduced or non-local and/or non-native elements.
Biosecurity: Biosecurity is the protection from the risks posed by organisms; to the economy, environment and people’s health—through exclusion, eradication and control.
Brackish (water): A term used to describe water that has moderate salinity levels (1 070 – 5 000 mg/L). These levels limit its suitability for many uses.
CAR Reserve System: The terms ‘comprehensive’, ‘adequate’ and ‘representative’ (CAR) together describe the attributes of an ideal reserve system. These terms are defined in the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council 1999 Guidelines for Establishing the National Reserve System as:
Coastal Plains: The hydrological zone that includes the Swan Coastal Plain (on the West Coast from Kwinana to Dunsborough) and the Scott Coastal Plain (on the South Coast stretching east from Augusta). The Coastal Plains are characterised by high rainfall, flat topography, extensive areas of poor drainage and an underlying sedimentary geology.
Conservation Covenants: People who wish to protect the conservation values of their land can do so by placing a covenant on their land title, with the terms of the convent outlining what can and cannot be done to the conservation areas identified in the covenant. Once registered it becomes a legally binding agreement between the landholder and the covenanting body. Covenants are a voluntary agreement and are registered on the title to land, and bind the present and future landholders to comply with the terms of the covenant. Ownership and control remain with the landholder.
Conservation Park: A Conservation Park has the same purpose as a national park, but not the same national or international significance.
Dam: A barrier, embankment or excavated earth structure constructed primarily to impound water for storage. Dams are generally built in or near drainage lines. Dam walls can range from large concrete structures such as Wellington Dam to the small earthen walls typical of many farm dams.
Declared Rare Flora: Flora that has been identified as being rare or threatened under IUCN criteria and declared under section 23F(2) of the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 (WA). In determining the status of species suspected of being threatened the IUCN recognises seven categories: Extinct (EX), Extinct in the wild (EW), Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU), Near Threatened (NT) and Least Concern (LC)
Degradation: The decline in the quality of natural resourcessuch as soils, water and plants.
Diffuse source: Describes a broad area from which nutrientsthat contribute to eutrophication are discharged. Pastures and broadacre cropping land are common examples of diffuse sources.
Drainage: The removal of water from a site or soil profile. Site drainage relates to the rate at which water is removed from a particular site. Soil or profile drainage relates to the rate at which water is removed from a particular soil profile. The term drainage is also used to describe systems that are
artificially constructed to improve site or soil drainage (e.g. deep drains, seepage interceptors or pumping systems).
Dryland salinity: The salinisation of land that is not irrigated. The term dryland salinity does not imply that the land is dry, as areas affected by dryland salinity are typically also waterlogged.
EC: An abbreviation of electrical conductivity, a measure of the ability of a medium to conduct electricity. EC is used often as a surrogate measure of salinity levels in water or soil as the conductivity of a solution generally increases in proportion with its salt content. There are three types of electrical conductivity measurements made on soils:
• EC1:5 measurements are made on a solution obtained by mixing one part soil with five parts distilled water.
• ECa measurements are taken in the field using an electromagnetic induction meter.
• ECe measurements are made on saturation extract paste from soil samples.
Ecological Community: An assemblage of interacting populations of plants, animals, invertebrates that share a common environment. They are commonly described by their vegetation and/or physical characteristics.
Ecosystem Services: are the conditions are processes through which natural ecosystems, and the species that make them up, sustain and fulfil human life.
Ecosystem: A community or communities of different species, interacting with one another and with the chemical and physical factors that make up their non-living environment.
Environmental Water Provisions: Actual level (allocation) made after consideration of the economic and social requirements for the water. It may be equal to or less than the Environmental Water Requirements.
Environmental Water Requirements: Water level that will maintain current ecological values.
Erosion: The wearing away of the land surface by running water, waves, wind or by other processes like such as mass wasting and corrosion (solution and other chemical processes). The term ‘geological erosion’ refers to natural erosion processes occurring over long (geological) time spans. ‘Accelerated erosion’ generically refers to erosion in excess of what is presumed or estimated to be naturally occurring levels, and which is a direct result of human activities such as cultivation.
Eutrophication: The enrichment of a water body with organic and inorganic plant nutrients. Eutrophication can cause the water body to become highly active biologically, with increased growth of algae.
Farm water storage: Any structure or natural feature that is used to hold water for later use on an agricultural property. Examples include gully wall dams, soaks, and concrete tanks.
Farming system: A combination of the crops, pastures, livestock and agricultural practices (e.g. cultivation technique and fertiliser regime) that are used on a farm.
Feral animal: wild exotic animal, usually a domestic animal that has become wild.
Flood plain: A plain built up by periodic flooding and alluvial deposition.
Flooding: The situation where, large volumes of water flow across the ground surface. It usually occurs along drainage lines and on valley floors. Differs from inundation where water on surface is stationary.
Fresh (water): A term used to describe water that has very low levels of salinity (less than 500 mg/L) —- these present no limitation to its suitability for most uses.
Global biodiversity hotspot: A concept defined in 1988 that identified regions around the globe;, that had a great diversity of endemic species (i.e. species that are unique and not found anywhere else, apart from that region) and have been significantly impacted and altered by human activity.Twenty-five terrestrial biodiversity hotspots have been identified on the planet; they contain 44% of all the world’s plants, 35% of all the world’s terrestrial vertebrates and only 1.45 of the planet’s area. The South West of Western Australia is the only global biodiversity hotspot in Australia, with 4331 endemic plant species out of its known total of 5469.
Groundwater: Water that is held below the ground surface that is a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure and will therefore flow freely into a bore or a well. This term is most commonly applied to permanent bodies of water found under the ground.
Habitat: The place where an organism or a group of organisms normally lives.
Heritage value: of a place, includes the place’s natural and cultural environment having aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance for current and future generations of Australians.
High rainfall district: A loose term used to describe areas close to the coast that receive more rainfall than inland areas. Typically applied to the districts receiving more than 600– or 800 mm per year on average.
Hydrological cycle: The continuous circulation of water between the land, sea (or other water surface) and the atmosphere.
Hydrological zone: An area of land where the geology, landform, soil, climate and land use combine to form a unique set of hydrological characteristics.
Hydrology: The study of water and water movement in relation to the land. Deals with the properties, laws, geographical distribution and movement of water on the land or under the Earth’s surface.
IBRA: The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a framework for conservation planning and management developed over the Australian continent. The bioregions represent a landscape- based approach to classifying the land surface on environmental attributes. They were derived from compiling information on climate, lithology/geology, landform, vegetation and flora and fauna. There are currently 85 bioregions nationally, and they reflect the environmental influences that shape the occurrence of flora and fauna and their interaction with the physical environment.
Investment strategy: is the ‘prospectus’ or ‘business plan’ that is developed to attract external investment in the regional strategy. The investment strategy identifies the specific actions, costs, time frames required to implement the regional strategy and achieve the regional targets as well as the expected returns on investment.
IUCN: The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN); now called the World Conservation Union. This is a world-wide body, founded in 1948, that aims to influence, encourage and assist to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and ensure the use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. It has over 980 member agencies across 140 countries. They have determined criteria (that are now internationally accepted) to list and rank the status of plants and animals. The Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) uses these criteria as an independent guide to determine the conservation status of Western Australian plants, animals and ecosystems, under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950.
Landscape: A collection of related, natural landforms; usually the land surface that the eye can comprehend in a single view.
Landscape: An area of land from hectares to square kilometres, which consists of a collection of different, but interacting patches of vegetation or other element/s.
Leach: To wash material from the soil, both in solution and suspension. The process by which nutrients, chemicals or contaminants are dissolved and carried away by water, or are moved into a lower layer of soil.
Low rainfall district: A loose term used to describe inland areas that receive less rainfall than areas closer to the coast. Typically applied to districts receiving less than 400 – 500 mm/year on average.
National Framework for NRM Standards and Targets: is an agreed approach to achieving change, by setting desired outcomes and a ‘minimum’ set Set of mMatters for which regional targets must be set to make progress towards these outcomes. Principles and an approach to best practice management of natural resources will also be developed under the Framework.
National Environmental Protection Measures: are broad framework-setting statutory instruments defined in the NEPC Act. They outline agreed national objectives for protecting or managing particular aspects of the environment. They are similar to environmental protection policies. NEPMs may consist of any combination of goals, standards protocols, and guidelines.
National NRM Monitoring and Evaluation Framework: is a framework prepared to support the NRM Ministerial Council in assessing progress towards improved natural resource condition and the performance of national resource management programs, strategies and policies.
National Outcomes: the National Framework for NRM Standards and Targets identifies agreed national outcomes, which are aspirational statements about desired natural resource condition.
National Park: are for wildlife and landscape conservation, scientific study, preservation of features of archaeological, historic or scientific interest, and enjoyment by the public. They have national or international significance for scenic, cultural or biological values.
National Standards: will be agreed between the Commonwealth and the States/Territories and comprise two elements:
• the desired condition of Australia’s natural resources and an approach to setting regional targets to achieve this
• principles for best practice management of natural resources by governments, including legislative, policy, process and institutional systems.
Natural Diversity Recovery Catchments: A catchment that has been identified by the state State (through processes outlined in the Salinity Action Plan and Salinity Investment Framework) as having high natural diversity values that are under threat of secondary salinisation. These areas are targeted to ensure their significant biological diversity values are maintained and protected in perpetuity.
Natural Heritage Trust: was established by the Commonwealth Government in 1996 with $1.5 billion to invest in natural heritage over the six years to June 2002. In May 2001, the Commonwealth Government committed a further $1 billion to extend the Trust for a further five years. The goal of the Trust is to stimulate activities in the national interest to achieve
Natural Resource Management: is the ecologically sustainable management of the land, water, air and biodiversity resources of the State for the benefit of existing and future generations, and for the maintenance of the life support capability of the biosphere. It does not include mineral resources but includes coastal and marine resources up to the State three- nautical mile boundary (definition of the WA NRM Council).
Nature reserve: Nature reserves are for wildlife and landscape conservation, scientific study, and preservation of features of archaeological, historic or scientific interest. Recreation that does not harm natural ecosystems is allowed.
No-till system: A system of sowing crops that involves direct seeding using a narrow point or disc. The soil is only cultivated in the sown row, leaving the inter-row areas relatively undisturbed.
Nutrient cycle: The movement of nutrients from the air or soil, to soil-water, into plants and eventually returning to the soil. The cycle typically involves nutrients transforming from one form to another and back again.
Nutrient load: A measure of the amount of nutrient transported by a river or stream. Typically expressed in terms of mass of nutrients over a given time period (e.g. tonnes per year).
Nutrient loss: The removal of nutrients (e.g. from applied fertilisers) from an ecological or agricultural system. Nutrient loss from agricultural systems occurs via the hydrological cycle (transported by water in solution or attached to sediments) or the by removal of farm produce (e.g. sending milk, meat or grain to markets).
Nutrient retention ability: The ability of the soil to adsorb and retain added nutrients. The nutrients may be held in a form that is inaccessible to plants.
pH: A measure of how acidic or alkaline a solution or soil is. The pH scale, ranges from 0–14, with 0–6 being acidic, 7 neutral and 8–14 alkaline. In technical terms pH is the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution.
Phosphate: A form of phosphorus (PO4 -3) capable of being dissolved and held in solution. Because it is soluble, phosphate is highly mobile and available for uptake by plants. Its mobility also means that it can be leached down the profile easily.
Phosphorus load: See nutrient load.
Phosphorus retention index: A measure of the ability of a soil to adsorb and hold phosphorus, commonly abbreviated to PRI.
Phosphorus status: Refers to the amount of phosphorus present in a soil at any given time. See nutrient level.
Phosphorus: A nutrient essential for plant growth. It can also play a major role in eutrophication.
Point source: Describes the discrete area or particular point from which nutrients that contribute to eutrophication are discharged. Examples of point sources include effluent disposal sites, dairies, piggeries and factories.
Potable water: Water that is suitable for drinking.
Primary salinity: Describes the situation where soils are inherently saline as a result of natural processes. As a general rule, areas affected by primary salinity do not get developed for agriculture.
Quality assurance: actions taken to ensure that standards and procedures are adhered to and that delivered products or services meet performance requirements.
Ramsar Convention: The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 138 Â contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1 328 wetland sites, totalling 111.9 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
Recharge: The water that moves into a groundwater body and therefore replenishes or increases sub-surface storage. Recharge typically enters aquifers by rainfall infiltrating the soil surface and then percolating through the zone of aeration (unsaturated soil). Recharge can also come via irrigation, the leakage of surface water storage or leakage from other aquifers. The term recharge is also used to describe the process of water entering a groundwater body.
Recovery Plans: A plan that describes actions needed to improve the status of a rare species or community to ensure its survival. The plan includes a timed schedule for completion of the various actions, measurable criteria for success or failure, a realistic budget, and how, and by whom, actions will be implemented. It also outlines the establishment and running of a recovery team that oversees the implementation of the recovery plan.
Regional Agreement: is an agreement between the Commonwealth, the State Government and a regional body. It describes the management and accountability arrangements to apply to the implementation of the accredited regional plan and investment strategy.
Regional body: is the organisation agreed between the Commonwealth and the State governments as being responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of a regional plan.
Regional Targets: set out identified desired outcomes and with specified timeframes for reaching them. They fall into three categories:
• Aspirational Targets are statements about the desired condition of natural resources in the longer term (50+ years).
• Resource Condition Targets are set by SWCC within the regional strategy that are achievable in a time span of 10–-20 years. They are specific, time bound and manageable targets relating to the resource condition against the minimum set of matters for regional targets set out in the National Framework for NRM Standards and Targets.
• Management Action Targets are short-term (1–5 yr) targets contributing to capacity building and to long-term resource condition targets.
Regions: The boundaries of regions in WA are described in the bilateral agreements and are shown in Map 1.
Representative Landscapes: An agglomeration or group of conservation reserves and other land managed for conservation which contains the full range of soil-landform vegetation elements within a given area, say e.g. 10 000 ha.
Revegetation: The process of returning perennial plants to land that was cleared. Land can be revegetated with native or introduced species.
Runoff: Water flowing downslope over the ground surface; also known as overland flow. Precipitation that does not infiltrate into the soil and is not stored in depressions becomes runoff.
Salinisation: The process of accumulation of soluble salts in soil.
Salinity level: The measured amount of salt that is contained in soil or water.
Salinity: An accumulation of soluble salts in the soil root zone, at levels where plant growth or land use is affected adversely. Also used to indicate the amounts of various types of salt present in soil or water.
Secondary salinity: Describes the situation where salinity levels have increased as a result of human activities changing the water balance. Secondary salinity often occurs as a result of agricultural development and can be responsible for preventing large areas of agricultural land from being productive.
Sediment: An accumulation of soil and rock particles, chemical precipitates, and organic remains deposited by water or wind.
Sedimentary deposits: Materials that have been moved from their site of origin by the action of wind, water, gravity or ice and then deposited. When these materials become consolidated and hard they are known as sedimentary rocks.
Sedimentary rock: A rock consisting of consolidated sediments, including sandstone, siltstone, shale, conglomerate, limestone, dolomite and evaporites.
Sedimentation: The deposition of sediment, usually by water. Sedimentation is the result of water erosion and involves soil particles being washed downslope or downstream before being deposited.
Sodic (soil): A soil in which the subsoil has a high exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP >6 in sodic soils, >15 in highly sodic soils). Sodic soils can be structurally unstable and plant growth may be adversely affected. Clays in sodic soils disperse when exposed to water and are highly erodible. Low permeability is often a feature of sodic soils.
Soil compaction: The process of increasing soil density caused by the soil particles becoming more closely packed resulting in air being removed. Soil compaction is often caused by the pressure exerted by; the weight of machinery or livestock trampling. Topsoil compaction leads to reduced infiltration while subsoil compaction slows water percolation through the profile.
Soil structure decline: The process whereby a soil becomes less well structured, usually by human activities such as cultivation. As the natural aggregates found in soil break down, soil drainage and plant root growth can be retarded.
Soil water: Commonly applied to sub-surface water occurring in the soil and regolith in an unsaturated condition (i.e. above the water table). This water is also sometimes referred to as soil water storage, soil moisture or sub-surface water.
‘Special’ species: Species which, while not listed as threatened, have some other particular importance to the community, such as iconic species, species of particular cultural value or migratory species
• adequacy – the maintenance of the ecological viability and integrity of populations, species and communities; and
• comprehensiveness – inclusion of the full range of ecosystems recognised at an appropriate scale within and across each bioregion;
• representativeness – the principle that those areas that are selected for inclusion in reserves reasonably reflect the biotic diversity of the ecosystems from which they derive.
Species: A group of organisms that resemble one another in appearance, behaviour, chemical make up and genetic structure.
Stakeholders: those involved in strategy development and implementation including local governmentlocal government, state State agencies, land managers, industry, communities, indigenous people, academic/scientific sector and environmental groups.
Stream flow: The transportation of water across the ground surface concentrated into streams, creeks, rivers and drains.
Stream salinity: Refers to the situation where there is a concentration of dissolved salts in a watercourse (e.g. stream or river). Although most current examples of stream salinity are directly associated with secondary salinity in the catchment area, there were streams that were saline before clearing began.
Streambank erosion: The removal of soil from streambanks; by the direct action of stream flow.
Sub-surface waterlogging: A term used to describe the condition whereby the topsoil of a profile is drained freely but the subsoil is saturated.
Surface storage: A term used to describe the water that remains on the ground surface either as surface moisture or accumulated in depressions such as puddles, swamps or lakes.
Suspended solids: Small particles of solids distributed through water.
Texture (soil): A description of soil material; based on field assessment, that describes the relative abundance of sand, silt and clay particles. Soils with a light texture have a high proportion of coarse (sand) particles. Soils with a heavy texture have a high proportion of fine (clay) particles.
Threatened Ecological Community: An ecological community that has been identified as threatened with extinction. Threatened is an umbrella term to include Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable species or ecological communities.
Turbidity: The cloudiness in a liquid caused by the presence of finely divided, suspended material. Vegetation associations: A grouping of similar plants that commonly occuroccurs within a specific area. The National Vegetation Information System defines a hierarchy of classification for describing the floristic and structural attributes of native vegetation; an association is classified as level 5 and determined by defining the dominant growth form, height, cover and three species for each of three strata within the vegetation formation – upper storey, mid-story and ground cover. The recommended scale of mapping, for fragmented areas, to identify such associations is 1:25 ,000.
Water abstraction: the removal of water from a natural body for human use.
Water balance: The relationship between input, storage and output within a hydrological system. If the amount of water entering the system is the same as the amount leaving, then storage remains constant and the system can be considered to be in equilibrium. Where input exceeds output, the water balance becomes altered and the amount of water stored inthe system increases. Conversely, the balance can be altered as storage decreases in response to output exceeding input.
Water erosion: The detachment and transport of soil particles by water; leading to the wearing away of the land surface.
Water supply shortages: The situation where there is an insufficient volume of water held in storage to meet the requirements of domestic use, livestock consumption or the irrigation of crops or pastures.
Water table: The upper surface of a body of groundwater occurring in an unconfined aquifer. At the water table, pore water pressure equals the atmospheric pressure.
Water use (plant): Describes the uptake of water from the soil by a plant. Most of this water is then transpired into the atmosphere.
Waterlogging: The condition whereby soil becomes saturated with excess water to the extent that most or all of the soil air is replaced.
Wind erosion: A process in which the soil is detached and transported from the land surface; by the action of the wind.
