Over the next few months we will be bringing you a series of posts on publications produced by Land & Water Australia over the last 20 years. We would really like to highlight some of the wonderful work undertaken and tell you about the publications which provide the detail of this work.
Richard Stirzaker’s Out of the Scientist’s Garden is a true classic and was funded through Land & Water Australia. A few months ago Richard opened his garden up to the public through the Australian Open Gardens scheme and I got to see his work first hand. I was in complete awe of his ability to provide a food supply for a whole family from an ordinary suburban block in Canberra. Also I managed to purchase an autographed copy of Richard’s book. Read more »
One researcher argues that in order to turn around environmental degradation in the Murray-Darling basin, we need to change how we think about the fundamental relationships between people and planet.
We just don’t all come from Adam and Eve. We come from the simple dirt that we walk upon. And out spirits, and our Baiame, our makers, it’s all interconnected there. And people don’t even show respect, you know, for that. If our river and environment is dying, then I believe that we as a people are also dying.
These are the words of Lee Joachim, an Indigenous man of the Yorta Yorta people from Barmah, Victoria. His is one of many voices telling a similar story – the Murray River is dying. It is this all too common and tragic imagery that Dr Jessica Weir came across time and again while researching for her PhD in the Fenner School of Environment and Society at ANU.
Read more about Dr Jessica Weir’s research in James Giggacher’s article in ANU News.
To explore the Yarra River is to delve into Melbourne’s history. Iconic Melbourne events such as John Landy attempting to run the four-minute mile during the 1956 Olympics or anarchist Chummy Fleming speaking at Birrarung Marr occurred on the banks of the 240km-long river.
Former agriculturist Ron Amor, of East Ivanhoe, attempts to document the river’s vast history in his new book, Exploring the Yarra.
Read more about Exploring the Yarra in this Melbourne Leader article.
The Smart Farms projects (NutrientSmart Farms and WaterSmart Farms) are working with landholders in the lower Hawkesbury Nepean region to improve nutrient management and water use efficiency.
See the latest Smart Farms newsletter for these feature articles:
- NutrientSmart Farms on target early
- Grants for River Water Irrigators
- Case study: Microbes to Manage Dairy Effluent Ponds
- Grants for Land Management Projects: BIG or small!
The Smart Farms projects are part of the Hawkesbury Nepean River Recovery Program which aims to improve river health by making more water available for environmental flows and reducing nutrient inputs to the river system. The Hawkesbury-Nepean River Recovery Program is funded by the Australian Government through the Water for the Future program.
Got some interesting news or a great story? We post relevant news and stories on our blog on the ARRC website, and ARRC blog updates are also automatically sent to our email and RSS subscribers and added to our Facebook and Twitter pages. To submit your ideas for consideration contact us.
LWA Research, Resources | Nerida Hart | 
30 May 2010 4:33 pm | 
Comments Off 
