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BEN Signage Installation Map – City of Melville
No full textBeach Emergency Number (BEN) Signage Installation Map – City of Melvillehttps://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/gis_bens/1013/thumbnail.jp
BEN Signage Installation Map - City of Karratha (East)
No full textBeach Emergency Number (BEN) Sign Location - Karrathahttps://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/gis_bens/1059/thumbnail.jp
BEN Signage Installation Map – Shire of Northampton - Kalbarri
No full textBeach Emergency Number (BEN) Signage Installation Map – Shire of Northampton - Kalbarrihttps://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/gis_bens/1050/thumbnail.jp
Strategic tillage for sustaining the productivity of broadacre cropping in the arid and semi-arid regions of Southern Australia
No full textConventional tillage, usually practised before every cropping cycle, was proven damaging and unsustainable and was replaced by conservation agriculture (CA) using no-till systems following the ‘dustbowls’ incident in the USA. However, the continuous practice of CA has brought new soil and agronomic challenges, such as soil water repellence, soil pH and nutrient stratification, subsoil acidity, compaction and herbicide resistance, threatening the sustainability of broadacre cropping again. In recent years, one-off deep strategic tillage (ST) has brought attention and shown promise in overcoming the challenges imposed by CA and improving the sustainability of broadacre cropping. Deep ST approaches are now available for applying and incorporating soil amendments such as agricultural lime to a targeted depth while treating soil water repellence and loosening the compacted subsoil. Some ST practices have also been proven to manage weed seed banks and decrease the demand for herbicide applications. Many farmers in southern Australia have adopted ST to address the above-mentioned soil and agronomic challenges. When ST is practised, care should be taken in selecting the right timing, soil conditions and depth of tillage for successful outcomes. Once ST is implemented, reestablishing CA would ensure the longevity of the benefits of ST.https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/books/1035/thumbnail.jp
Rain and potential evapotranspiration are the main drivers of yield for wheat and barley in southern Australia: insights from 12 years of National Variety Trials
No full textContextWater is widely assumed to be the factor most limiting the growth of annual crops in rainfed environments, but this is rarely tested at sub-continental scale. AimsOur study aimed to determine the key environmental and management variables influencing the yield of wheat and barley in the grain-production regions of southern Australia, using data from National Variety Trials. MethodsWe used generalised additive models to determine the importance of climatic and management variables on wheat and barley grain yield. We determined the effects of the best one, two or three variables and their interactions. Key resultsThe aridity index, defined as the ratio of cumulative rainfall to potential evapotranspiration, was the single strongest determinant of grain yield for both crops. Model performance was further improved by separating the aridity index into pre-seasonal and seasonal components. Interestingly, other variables that might be expected to influence yield, such as nitrogen fertilisation and extreme temperatures, had relatively minor effects. A comparison between data collected over two 6-year periods showed that there had been yield gains and increased water-use efficiency with time, especially in wetter environments. ConclusionsOur findings illustrate the importance of water availability for grain production in this region and suggest opportunities for benchmarking and yield prediction through use of readily available climate data. ImplicationsOur study reinforces the importance of factors such as water-use efficiency and drought tolerance as goals for cultivar development and agronomic research in wheat and barley. It also highlights the potential of National Variety Trial data as a resource for understanding grain production systems and climate resilience. Further work could explore the value of additional variables and improved weather data
Western Australia Pastoral Land Tenure - Gascoyne Region
No full textA map of the Gascoyne region of Western Australia showing the pastoral lease boundaries and names and their tenure. Includes an index of pastoral leases.https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/gis_maps/1019/thumbnail.jp
Western Australian Regional Development Trust Annual Report 2023-24
No full textThe Trust is an independent statutory advisory body to the Minister for Regional Development, established under the Royalties for Regions Act 2009 (Act).
The functions of the Trust are to provide advice and make recommendations to the minister: for the purposes of sections 5(2) and 9(1) of the Act; and on any other matter relating to the operation of the Fund that is referred to it by the minister.
In addition to its monitoring and advisory role, the Trust also works to engage and enhance relationships with key regional stakeholders and influencers to promote greater collaboration and innovation in the delivery of regional development in Western Australia.https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/ar_wardt/1012/thumbnail.jp
The social and economic dimensions of one of the world’s longest-operating shark fisheries
No full textContext Social and economic information is limited for coastal commercial and recreational fisheries, particularly shark fisheries, which are perceived as unsustainable and as targeting sharks for fins.
Aims To characterise the social and economic dimensions of one of the world’s few long-standing sustainable shark fisheries.
Methods We reviewed historic data and surveyed stakeholders to understand the economic and social dimensions of the shark fishery currently operating in Western Australia.
Key results Since the fishery’s historic peak, there has been a substantial reduction in the number of operating vessels and ports due to management intervention. For the vessels that have remained, catches and catch rates increased through time. Fishers sold only flesh and fins, whereas processors also sold cartilage. Revenue mostly originates from the domestic sale of flesh, not fins. This fishery provides additional social and economic returns through the employment of an average of 102 people per annum, the supply of local fresh seafood to communities and the expenditure of most of operational costs in local government areas. In addition, the average annual market value through the supply chain was A20.9 × 106).
Conclusions Our study is the first step towards a more comprehensive valuation of the societal contribution of sustainable shark fisheries.
Implications This novel information has a range of applications, from developing social and economic objectives in fisheries harvest strategies to empowering government agencies when making decisions on natural resource management
Postharvest blown-arc plasma treatment did not reduce Fusarium graminearum or its mycotoxins in field-infested wheat grain
No full textThe increasing prevalence of Fusarium graminearum, a major causative pathogen of Fusarium head blight in cereal crops, leads to contamination of grain with mycotoxins, which necessitates the development of effective management strategies. This study investigated whether postharvest Blown-Arc plasma treatment could reduce F. graminearum and associated mycotoxins in field-infested grain. Postharvest Blown-Arc plasma treatment for 60 or 180 s was trialled to reduce Fusarium graminearum and deoxynivalenol (DON) mycotoxins in field-infested wheat grain. Changes in fungal components of the grain microbiome following the treatment were assessed using metabarcoding analysis of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer gene region, and liquid chromatography mass spectrophotometry was used to measure changes in concentrations of the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON), DON-3-glucoside (DON3-G) and 3-acetyl-DON (3-ADON). Fusarium spp. were the most common taxa in the grain over two seasons, with the relative abundance being higher in 2020 (72%) compared to 2021 (45%). Postharvest plasma treatment of field-infested grain for 60 or 180 s did not significantly lower Fusarium abundance. Alpha and beta diversity of the natural mycobiota in the grain were also unaffected. The concentrations of mycotoxins were not significantly different after the treatments, except that in the 2021 trial, the 180 s treatment caused a significant increase in DON concentration. We concluded that the postharvest plasma treatment used in this study did not reduce Fusarium contamination or the concentration of mycotoxins, DON, DON3-G and 3-ADON in field-infested grain. The results highlight the importance of using field-infested grain in experiments, as opposed to grain inoculated under laboratory conditions, which provides only superficial infection. This approach is crucial for accurately understanding the dynamics of treatment efficacy
State and transition models for tussock grasslands and woodlands of the Kimberley: Final project report
No full textThe Kimberley region in north-west Western Australia is covered by extensive savanna woodlands and tussock grasslands. Approximately half the region is under pastoral leases predominately used for beef production. The Western Australian (WA) government Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) undertakes lease assessment and inspection to ensure the maintenance of pastoral land condition (maintenance of perennial grass cover that supports livestock grazing and soil condition). This presents several challenges around defining land condition and practices that support and improve long-term ecological sustainability of pastoral lands. The objective of this project was to develop state and transition models (S&TMs) for tussock grasslands and woodlands of the Kimberley as a tool to support DPIRD led monitoring and compliance programs in the Kimberley. The models were developed to meet three key outcomes: A shared understanding (across a range of Departmental staff, scientists and land management experts) of grassland dynamics in the Kimberley, including when observed changes in tussock grasslands and woodlands are driven by natural disturbance cycles or management. Informing management and regulation of grassland ecosystems, including the relationship between pasture types and where they should be grouped or separated for developing quantitative measures of pasture condition, what should be measured to identify a change in ecosystem state, what management actions might result in a transition to an ecosystem state with greater biomass of palatable pasture species, and over what time frame those changes might occur. Options to link information in S&TMs to remote sensing information, including the description of a set of rules that could be used to interpret remotely sensed information for on-ground management.
Two S&TMs were developed for Wet-dry tropical eucalypt woodlands (red soil) ecosystems and Rainfall-pulse driven arid and semi-arid tussock grasslands (black soil) ecosystems, that occur across the west and east Kimberley. The models were developed in a two-day expert elicitation workshop using the Australian Ecosystem Models framework archetype models as templates. Nineteen states were described, including two reference states and 17 modified states, across both ecosystem types. Each state included information about within-state variability, driven by natural disturbance and recovery processes, captured through descriptions of ecosystem expressions. The S&TMs also described 58 transitions between modified states (38 for the red soil S&TM and 20 for the black soil S&TM). Transitions included information on drivers, pre-conditions and timeframe for transitions, and likelihood of transitions driven by management actions that aim to recover pasture condition. Expert-elicited information on the characteristics (structure, function and composition) of each ecosystem state (and its expressions) was combined with quantitative measurements of species frequency and cover taken from the Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS) dataset and satellite imagery. S&TM information was captured in conceptual diagrams, text, tables and spreadsheets.
Overall, the S&TMs have organised information about tussock grassland and woodland dynamics across the Kimberley that: complement existing classification schemes for pasture type and condition provide a basis for interpretation of landscape change that is due to transitions between ecosystem states that impact landscape values (e.g. cattle production, ecological integrity), versus change driven by endogenous disturbances (e.g. fire, drought, flood) provide a structured way to assess pasture condition and a guide to management actions that might be implemented to reverse undesirable changes articulate a method for organising and cataloguing ecosystem dynamics that is transferable to other regions of the WA rangelands.
Several knowledge gaps remain, and next steps should focus on developing quantified measures of ecosystem states (condition), mapping the spatial location of ecosystem states, and shaping the S&TMs into decision trees for informing practical land management, monitoring and evaluation