By Lucy Waldron
The 2022 floods have caused recurring effects long after the water has dried. Erosion is the leading problem many landowners are facing.
Erosion is a geological process where soil rocks and sediment are worn away over time by natural forces however this process can be sped up by poor management and human impacts on land, Natural Resources Defence Council say.
Keep your Dirt Field Day organised by SQNNSW Innovation Hub occurred on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 in Junabee and Willowvale to educate participants on erosion and proper land care.
The days consisted of visiting a range of different landscapes like the black cracking clay and sodic soils while learning about the types of erosion mitigation measures.
Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales (SQNNSW) Innovation Hub Regional Soils Coordinator, Cameron Leckie said the key part of the event is understanding the importance of coordination between landholders, state governments, local government, utilities and providers because they all have a role to play.
“The coordination is very important, as is the maintenance of soil conservation, they must be maintained otherwise they stop being effective and can cause more damage,” Cameron said.
With the future predicting an increase in rainfall, Cameron said this means soil conservation and managing erosion is even more detrimental otherwise the effects could be very damaging and expensive.
“We are losing soil a lot faster than it is being made, so we need to manage this to be able to provide food to eat and have sustainable communities,
“This is a problem that can largely be solved if we just work together and put the effort in,” Cameron said.
The Keep your Dirt Field Day was a step in the right direction for this education as participants ranged from new landholders with no experience to earth movers who have done soil conservation work for decades.
Soil Conservationist Mark Genrich provided his knowledge to the group in hopes it provides the knowledge for those to properly take care of their environment.
