Department of Climate Change

Address:
GPO Box 854 Canberra
ACT 2601 Australia
Phone:
+61 02 6274 1888
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Integrating forest sinks with agriculture
Integrating forest sinks with agriculture

Natural resource management

One of Australia's environmental challenges involves the effective management of our natural resources (soil, water, plants, animals). Ensuring the ecologically sustainable management of natural resources is a critical issue if Australia is to maintain the health of our environment, conserve our land and biodiversity, and continue to be a major agricultural producer and exporter.

Climate change has significant implications for achieving natural resource management (NRM) objectives such as reducing salinity, improving water quality and conserving biodiversity. Changes in natural resource conditions and trends due to climate change may influence NRM priorities and the efficiency and effectiveness of NRM activities. A better understanding of the potential impacts and adaptation options at the regional level is required to enable effective NRM.

Climate change also provides opportunities for NRM. In particular, the integration of carbon sequestration outcomes in forest establishment projects (forest sinks) can provide greenhouse benefits and a potential additional investment stream.

The Australian forest estate, including planted and native forests, is a key component of the continental carbon cycle. Forests can act either as sinks or sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) and are a source of non-CO2 gases. Projected global climate effects could change the current dynamic between disturbance pressures and Australian forests leading to a change in their source/sink strength. Climate change effects on forests have implications for forest growers and natural resource managers. Improved understanding of these effects is required to inform management of Australian forests for greenhouse, ecological and production benefits.

Greenhouse Action in Regional Australia

The Greenhouse Action in Regional Australia Strategic Research & Development Investment Plan supports research into improving our understanding of the implications of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and climate change on Australia's forests, and integrating climate change issues in regional NRM planning.

Australian Government publications that discuss climate change implications for forests and NRM include:

Further information about climate change impacts and adaptation can be found at www.climatechange.gov.au/impacts.