An Economic Assessment of Management Programs for Land Degradation on a Regional, Farm and Paddock Basis

Abstract

This study is concerned with the economic assessment of programs to manage land degradation at a regional, farm and paddock level in New South Wales. It has been undertaken within an interdisciplinary framework by combining economic and environmental factors. The overall objective is to improve information for decision-making relating to the management of land degradation, through the integration of economic and bio-physical information. Despite increased funding support at Federal and State levels and a significant rise in the number of Landcare groups across Australia, land degradation continues to be a serious environmental problem. There is a lack of reliable information at various scales of management on the impact of land degradation on agricultural productivity, and the economic viability of land-management programs. Furthermore, few attempts have been made elsewhere to integrate economic and biophysical data to provide prescriptive information to improve management decisions. ... On the basis of the initial success of methods developed in this project, further research that incorporates economic and bio-physical information in models is recommended.