Regional Priority Setting in Queensland: A multi-criteria evaluation framework.

Consultancy report for the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines.audit;Australia;Queensland;natural resources; mines

Concepts of Landscape Redesign - A Background Paper

A recent report prepared for the Australian Conservation Foundation and National Farmers Federation states that there is a need for the development of new production systems that are in tune with the needs of the natural environment. It is this need that has prompted the concept of landscape redesign, a challenge to develop profitable and environmentally sustainable land use options that help attain desired future landscapes. Natural resource managers are only starting to grapple with how Australian landscapes can be managed, or where appropriate redesigned, to achieve improved outcomes. There are many unanswered questions relating to landscape redesign. These represent the range of unknowns that need to be addressed to permit effective scientific research, policy formulation and on-ground change. These questions resurface throughout the remainder of this paper.Australia;landscape;natural resource management;agriculture

An Economic Analysis and Cost Sharing Assessment for Dryland Salinity Management: A case study of the Lower Eyre Peninsula in South Australia

Report to Primary Industry and Resources SA. This report has 2 components. Firstly, it discusses issues relating to cost sharing for dryland salinity management. Secondly, it presents an economic analysis and cost sharing assessment of six dryland salinity management options for the Lower Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The report includes a benefit-cost analysis of revegetation to control salinity.Australia;dryland;salinity;economic analysis;cost sharing;revegetation

ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF DRYLAND SALINITY FOR GRAINS INDUSTRIES

This paper explores some possible economic impacts of worsening salinity severity and extent in the grains industry across Australia. It also looks at the potential to increase agricultural profits through remediation. The analysis is based on a spatial model of agricultural profits and salinity related crop/pasture yield losses. It is estimated that grains industry farming profits across Australia would rise by an upper limit $138 million per year were salinity costlessly removed from the landscape. It is also estimated that the present value of grains industry profit losses from worsening salinity extent and severity over the next 20 years is$237 million. These amounts can be considered against the costs of repair.Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Value of Returns to Land and Water and Costs of Degradation Vol 1 of 2

Volume 1 (Main Report), Consultancy report for the National Land and Water Resources Audit, Theme 6.1. This report presents new datasets developed through the National Land and Water Resources Audit that relate to economic aspects of natural resource management in Australia. There is a focus on resources used to support agriculture and resources impacted by agriculture. Consistent with protocols used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics, the database provides a new capacity to integrate natural resource information in Australia. The datasets are primarily built for the 1996/97 financial year, the year of an agricultural census.audit;Australia;natural resource management

Value of Returns to Land and Water and Costs of Degradation - Executive Summary only

Executive Summary only, Consultancy report for the National Land and Water Resources Audit, Theme 6.1. This report presents new datasets developed through the National Land and Water Resources Audit that relate to economic aspects of natural resource management in Australia. There is a focus on resources used to support agriculture and resources impacted by agriculture. Consistent with protocols used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics, the database provides a new capacity to integrate natural resource information in Australia. The datasets are primarily built for the 1996/97 financial year, the year of an agricultural census.audit;Australia;natural resource management

Supporting Decisions: Understanding natural resource management assessment techniques

Report to the Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation. This document presents a review of NRM decision support techniques. It draws upon previous studies in the fields of management science, operations research, environmental economics and natural resource management. The objectives of the document are to: Explain the workings of the more significant (representative) methods of NRM decision support (including the latest developments); Discuss how these decision support methods may influence the outcome of NRM decisions; and Provide practicing NRM decision makers with guidance for choosing which methods to apply.Australia;natural resource management;assessment;decision support;

Value of Returns to Land and Water and Costs of Degradation Vol 2 of 2

Volume 2 (Appendices), Consultancy report for the National Land and Water Resources Audit, Theme 6.1. This report presents new datasets developed through the National Land and Water Resources Audit that relate to economic aspects of natural resource management in Australia. There is a focus on resources used to support agriculture and resources impacted by agriculture. Consistent with protocols used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics, the database provides a new capacity to integrate natural resource information in Australia. The datasets are primarily built for the 1996/97 financial year, the year of an agricultural census.audit;Australia;natural resource management

Prioritising sensory systems for Queensland: An evaluation of alternative sensory systems using multiple criteria analysis

Sensor technology is an extensive field – the Encyclopedia of Sensors comprises 10 volumes of more than 400 chapters. Although sensors have been in use for centuries, sensor technology is rapidly developing now; the digital age provides the opportunity for real-time decision-making based on data received from complex technical systems. New opportunities for sensor technology platforms are becoming available, and the benefits from the application of these platforms have greatly increased

Are you ready for change? Farsight for construction: Exploratory scenarios for Queensland’s construction industry to 2036

The future of work and employment is a global hot topic with interconnected and powerful forces shaping jobs, industries and entire economies. Farsight, prepared in partnership with Construction Skills Queensland, examines the future of construction work in the state. Specifically, the report discusses critical trends and alternative scenarios for the future of Queensland’s construction workforce. Eighty leading experts across the state contributed to this future through a range of thinking and participation in interviews and workshops – where they considered what the industry could look like in 2036, and how job profiles and skills requirements might change to align with that future. A comprehensive scan of trends impacting the industry was undertaken, 25 of which are discussed in this report. This industry input and trends scan culminated in the development of four scenarios (Figure 1) that capture key areas of uncertainty and impact for jobs and skills in the industry. Each scenario is possible and takes the reader down an evidence-based journey about a plausible future. Because the future is not exact, there are multiple paths leading to multiple scenarios. Our scenarios describe a range of futures – some we would like to happen or others we would like to avoid. The aim in scenario planning is to be objective and inform decision-makers to identify, select and implement optimal strategies to achieve a better future – for all involved. Farsight was designed to help the industry understand what could happen in the future, and to identify what future(s) the industry wants and what steps could be taken to move toward desired futures. The scenarios were defined using a strategic foresight process that involves the identification of two spectrums that capture a range of plausible outcomes. The end points are extreme possibilities, with each relatively independent of the other. The outcomes of Farsight rests upon a set of trends compiled and synthesised by the research team. Crossing the axes defines the scenario space and the four scenarios which detail the tools we will need to keep stay nimble, relevant and effective in a global marke