MDBA Plan unfairly targets plantation forestry

The Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) proposed plan is certainly getting a lot of press throughout Australia since being released earlier this week. David Harris, Commissioner of the NSW Office of Water gave those attending the ForestTECH 2011 event in Albury last night a first-hand insight into the draft – along with implications to landowners in the four Australian States affected.

The plan for the Basin according to the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) in a release this week says it unfairly targets plantation forestry. AFPA Chief Executive David Pollard said the plantation industry was willing to pull its weight in water reform, but not while activities that are potentially high water interceptors are not to be assessed at all.

“The MDBA Draft Plan will result in perverse outcomes for the management of water interception given its focus on plantation forestry, to the exclusion of other dry-land activities,” said Dr Pollard. “Plantation forests make up less than one-third of one per cent of the Murray Darling Basin, while dry-land pasture and crops cover some 66 and 10 per cent respectively. Yet these land uses will not be assessed to the same level of scrutiny as plantation forests.”

“Even improved pasture, which uses a similar amount of water per hectare as tree plantations, is not to be assessed for its water use. This could lead to less than efficient outcomes in utilising our water resources. Moreover, the projected amounts of water claimed to be intercepted by plantations needs to be more thoroughly assessed. The MDBA bases its analysis on National Water Commission projections, which at the time were known to be highly variable estimates with a high degree of uncertainty.”

“The only acceptable approach is one based on scientific evidence, facts and objective analysis. AFPA was hoping for a less political approach to the management of water interception in the Proposed Plan. Taking a more balanced approach to the assessment of dry-land activities across the Basin would be a good start, including sensible thresholds on the scale and significance of water using activities on water budgets” he said.


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