Sub-regional Priorities of the Avon River Basin

Five sub-regions with the Avon River Basin have been identified that have unique characteristics and issues. Sub-regional differences can guide a prioritisation of management responses at a local level.

Southern Wheatbelt

NRM Priorities

Enhance, protect and manage important biodiversity refuges, address soil acidity issues, prevent further salinity expansion, support land use planning, fence and re-vegetate major tributaries.

The Southern Wheatbelt is characterised by:

  • Low population density
  • Declining population
  • Limited access to social services
  • Ongoing structural adjustment with agricultural enterprises
  • More recent clearing, lower clearing rates, important ecological refuge
  • 20% remaining bushland
  • 17% remnant patches >10ha in size
  • 4% salinity
  • Large proportion soils below threshold pH 5.5
  • -4% population growth
  • 27% of town populations within 50km of towns > 600 people
  • Exceeds threshold for Total Nitrogen
  • Limited fencing on major river tributary

Greater Western Woodlands

NRM Priorities

Protect and manage impacts on intact native vegetation.

The Great Western Woodland is characterised by:

  • Limited clearing
  • Dominated by mining, traditional and conservation land uses
  • Significant areas of Unallocated Crown Land (83%), open to potential future change in land use
  • Key threats associated with changes to fire management, feral animal control, weed invasion and vegetation disturbance
  • A few largely inactive pastoral leases
  • 99% remaining bushland, all over 10ha
  • No secondary salinity
  • Unknown soil pH and organic carbon levels
  • Small FIFO population— no data

Eastern Wheatbelt

NRM Priorities

Enhance, protect and manage remaining biodiversity, prevent further salinity expansion, manage soil acidity issues, support land use planning and alternative industries, improve fertiliser efficiency of agricultural landscapes, fence and re-vegetation major tributaries.

The Eastern sub-region is characterised by:

  • Low population density
  • Higher population density
  • Increasing population
  • Town economies greatly influenced by services industry
  • Increases in urban and peri urban land use development
  • Early cleared, high levels of local species extinctions
  • Avon and Swan River impacts
  • Management of land use planning
  • Higher rainfall
  • Higher population density
  • Increasing population
  • Town economies greatly influenced by services industry
  • Increases in urban and peri urban land use development
  • Early cleared, high levels of local species extinctions
  • Avon and Swan River impacts
  • Management of land use planning

Central Wheatbelt

NRM Priorities

Make productive use of saline land, manage modified biodiverse systems, address soil acidity issues, improve fertiliser efficiency on agricultural landscapes, retrofit to locally dispose of deep drainage water, fence and re-vegetate major tributaries.

The Central Region is characterised by:

  • Moderate population density
  • Declining population
  • Economy reliant on agriculture
  • Muted structural adjustment in agricultural industry leading to increasing economic stress
  • Early settled, high clearing rates, extensive local extinction
  • 6% remaining bushland
  • 6% remnant patches >10ha in size
  •  6% salinity
  • Majority soils below threshold pH 5.5
  • 0% population growth
  • 79% of town populations within 50km of towns > 600 people
  • Exceeds threshold for Total Nitrogen(TP) and Mortlock catchment exceeds TP threshold
  • 20-50% of river sample sites have severely acidic baseflow <pH 6.5 (DAFWA Report Card 2013)
  • Limited fencing on major river tributary

Avon Arc

NRM Priorities

Enhance, protect and manage fragmented, at-risk biodiversity, improve fertiliser efficiency of agricultural landscapes, major tributary riparian management, and manage peri-urban changes.

The Avon Arc is characterised by:

  • Higher rainfall
  • Higher population density
  • Increasing population
  • Town economies greatly influenced by services industry
  • Increases in urban and peri urban land use development
  • Early cleared, high levels of local species extinctions
  • Avon and Swan River impacts
  • Management of land use planning
  • 11% remaining bushland
  • 9% remnant patches >10ha in size
  • 4% salinity
  • Large proportion soils below threshold pH 5.5
  • 10% population growth
  • 86% of town populations within 50km of towns > 600 people
  • 99% Avon River fenced
  • Exceeds threshold for Total Nitrogen
  • Exceeds threshold for Total Phosphorus

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