1. Focus Area 5A3 Issues in Australian Environments
Land and water management

2. Syllabus: Land and water management
Students learn about:
At least TWO geographical issues affecting Australian environments, (one study must include fieldwork):
the geographical processes relevant to the issue
the perceptions of different groups about the issue
individual, group and government responses to the issue
decision-making processes involved in the management of the issue
management of the issue and implications for sustainability, social justice and equity

3. Syllabus: Land and water management
Students learn to:
explain the interaction of the physical and human elements of the environment
recognise the responsibility of the levels of government to the issue
propose actions that promote:
sustainability
social justice
equity
evaluate the success of individuals, groups and the levels of government in managing the issue

4. Water Management

5. Introduction Every person on Earth depends on land and water.
Water is essential for life, there are no substitutes.
Land is:
Where we live
Provides us with most of our food
Provides products like minerals, metals and timber.
People’s social and economic well-being and their health are dependent on land and water ecosystems.
It is essential for our quality of life that these two resources are managed sustainably so that they will be available for future generations to use.

6. Lingo List Algal bloom Catchment Desalination Great Artesian Basin
Grey water
Ground water
Hydroelectricity
Per capita
River regulation
Salinity
Total catchment management
Underground water
Water catchment
Water quality
Water quantity
Water table

7. What's Your Water Footprint?
Read /resources/articles/waterfootprints.html
Then go to page=cal/WaterFootprintCalculator to calculate your own water footprint

8. Source Sue van Zuylen, Glyn Trethewy, Helen McIsaac
Land Resources
Australia has a land area of about 7.6 million square kilometres.
Source Sue van Zuylen, Glyn Trethewy, Helen McIsaac
Geography Focus 2 Page 178
A large percentage of the land is arid or semi-arid and not suitable for intensive agricultural production, urban development or industry.
Regions with wetter climates and good soils suitable for agriculture and supporting populations have consequently experienced intensive use and degradation.

9. Land Diversity
An illustration of different methods of land and water use - general

10. Water Resources
Activity – Skills - Water and its Management worksheets 2 & 3.
In Australia, water management is an important issue due to the low and unreliable rainfall combined with high evaporation rates
Little water collects in rivers, lakes and storage areas compared to other continents. Rivers have highly variable flows and droughts are common.
Many Australians are concerned about the overuse, degradation and management of water.
Inappropriate management strategies have contributed to issues like salinity, pollution, algal blooms and water shortages.
There is an imbalance in the availability of water in Australia.
Water resources are concentrated in northern Australia and Tasmania, which have high rainfall, whereas most of the population lives in the south eastern states of New South Wales, Victoria and southern Queensland.
Freshwater supplies include rivers, streams, wetlands, lakes, groundwater and springs
Australia has the highest water storage capacity per capita in the world at kilolitres per person
There are 447 large dams that contain gigalitres of water when they are full.
Eighty per cent of the water used is surface water. .
Source for Murray Darling

11. Murray Darling Quick Facts
The Murray-Darling river system is a key source of fresh surface water million Australians in SA, Victoria, ACT and NSW depend on it for water
Catchment area for the Murray and Darling rivers and their tributaries
Total of 23 river valleys
Basin area over 1 million square kilometres
14% of total area of Australia
Annual average rainfall 530,618 gigalitres
94% of rainfall evaporates; 2% drains into the ground; 4% ends up as runoff
Basin generates 39% of the national income derived from agricultural production
Produces 53% of Australian cereals grown for grain, 95% of oranges, and 54% of apples
Supports 28% of the nation’s cattle herd, 45% of sheep, and 62% of pigs.
accessed 14/09/11

12. GAB (Great Artesian Basin)
Twenty per cent comes from underground sources, particularly the Great Artesian Basin (GAB).
The Great Artesian Basin is one of the largest underground water reservoirs in the world. It underlies approximately 22 per cent of Australia — occupying an area of over 1.7 million square kilometres beneath the arid and semi-arid parts of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Problems with the use of groundwater include declining water availability, rising and falling water tables and salinity.
On 21 February 2011, ABC Four Corners revealed that significant concerns were being expressed about depletion and chemical damage to the Great Artesian Basin as a result of coal seam gas extraction. In one incident, reported in the program, the Queensland Gas Company (QGC) 'fracked' its Myrtle 3 well connecting the Springbok aquifer to the coal seam below (the Walloon Coal Measures) in 2009, in the process releasing 130 litres of a potentially toxic chemical into the Great Artesian Basin
. QGC admitted the incident, but did not report it to authorities for 13 months. The safety data sheet QGC had submitted for the fracking chemical was derived from the United States, incomplete and 10 years out of date[11] Over 30 chemicals may be used in the process of 'fracking' and their long term impact on aquifers and the agriculture and people supported by them is unknown. ( )
Ref:

13. Sustainability, Social Justice and Equity Issues
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions
Social Justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being
Equity is a perception of satisfaction in terms of fair/unfair distributions of resources

14. How do these apply? Activity
Given some of the issues explored via the Murray Darling and GAB write down one example of a social justice, equity and sustainability issue for each region

15. How is it used?
80 per cent of Australia’s water is used in the agricultural sector each year.
The bulk is used in irrigating food crops including rice, vegetables, fruit, grapes, sugar, wheat and other grains.
Water is used to improve pastures and provide stock water for dairy cattle and other livestock.
Settlements may have limited water supply if:
Located in low rainfall areas,
Have inadequate storage or
Experienced extended periods of drought.