GLOSSARY
Agricultural establishment
An establishment which is engaged mainly in agricultural activities.
Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC)
A classification guide produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the New Zealand Department of Statistics for use in the collection and publication of statistics in the two countries.
Area affected
The area of agricultural land currently affected by natural resource management issues.
Area managed
The area of agricultural land on which management action has been undertaken to prevent or manage natural resource management issues.
Barriers to Natural Resource Management
Obstacles which impact on the landholder's ability to improve their natural resource management practices. Typical barriers include; lack of financial resources, lack of time, lack of incentives, age and/or ill health, and insufficient or inadequate information.
Biological control
The practice or process by which an undesirable organism is controlled by means of another (beneficial) organism.
Dryland Salinity
Occurs when groundwater (and the salts it contains) rises to the soil surface. It is largely the consequence of the clearing of deep-rooted native vegetation for rain-fed crop and pasture production.
Earthworks
Operations involved in moving, loosening, depositing, shaping, compacting and stabilising soil and rock. It includes operations associated with levees/banks, shallow open drains, deep open drains and subsurface drains.
Erosion
The wearing away of land or soil by the action of wind, water, or ice.
Estimated value of agricultural operations (EVAO)
An estimation of the value of agricultural activity undertaken by an agricultural establishment. Three-year average weighted prices are applied to livestock turnoff and livestock numbers on the farm, and to area and production data for crops. The resultant aggregation of these commodity values is the EVAO. It is not an indicator of the value of receipts of individual farms but rather an indicator of the extent of agricultural activity.
Excess nutrient load
The mass of nutrients carried by water into surrounding waterways over a period of time. Because of the use of fertilisers and manure, water that passes through agricultural soils often carries a high 'nutrient load' into local creeks.
Farmers
Operators of agricultural establishments.
Farm management plan
Documented records addressing the present farm situation and outlining strategies for future management and development decisions.
Habitat fragmentation
The process by which isolated patches of habitat are created through land clearing and deforestation.
Herbicide
Chemical substances or living organisms (called bioherbicides) used to kill or control vegetation such as brush, weeds, and competing or undesirable trees.
Holding
Land located within one shire used for the production of agricultural and livestock produce. Each holding usually corresponds to an individual farm business, and can consist of a number of separate parcels of land, providing they are all in the one shire.
Irrigation
The replacement or supplementation of rainfall with water from another source in order to grow crops, pastures etc.
Irrigation salinity
A form of salinity resulting from the increasing build-up of salts in irrigated soils. It results from raised water table levels that bring soil salts to the upper levels of the soil profile, as well as the repeated use of saline river water for irrigation.
Land and soil activities
Activities undertaken on the holding to prevent or manage land and soil issues, including crop and/or pasture type or management, earthworks, drains or water pumping, changes to cultivation, irrigation and fertilisation methods, fencing to protect sensitive areas, and soil testing. Land and soil activities do not include activities undertaken to prevent or manage native vegetation, weed or pest-related issues.
Land and soil issues
Issues impacting on the condition of the land and soil, including soil acidity, salinity, soil compaction, surface waterlogging and erosion.
Laser levelling
The use of a laser guided land plane to re-level the paddock surface, filling low spots and removing high spots to give a uniform paddock surface and to create a suitable slope for improving watering efficiency.
Native vegetation
Any indigenous plant community, either naturally occurring or regenerated with human assistance. Native vegetation covers a range of vegetation types, including forests, woodlands, scrub, native grasslands, wetlands, and remnant and regrowth. It excludes commercial plantations.
Native vegetation activities
Activities undertaken on the holding to manage native vegetation, including fencing off from stock, planting and/or seeding, clearing, thinning of regrowth, allowing regrowth, and fire management.
Native vegetation issues
Issues impacting on the presence and quality of native vegetation on the holding, including habitat fragmentation, and excessive, thickening or insufficient native vegetation.
Natural Heritage Trust 2 (NHT2) regions
Fifty-seven regions identified across Australia for the purposes of addressing natural resource management and sustainable agriculture priorities. The boundaries for each region have been established by agreement between the Australian Government, and State and Territory Governments. A map outlining the specific NHT2 regions used in this publication is provided in Appendix 2. Data at the NHT2 region level is as per the boundary specifications of August 2005.
Natural Resource Management (NRM)
Management of our natural resources - land, soil, native vegetation, biodiversity and water (both fresh and sea).
Natural Resource Management (NRM) activities
Activities undertaken on the holding to prevent or manage native vegetation, weed, pest, land and soil and/or water issues.
Natural Resource Management (NRM) effort
The time in person days spent preventing or managing natural resource management issues on the land. One person day equals 8 hours.
Natural Resource Management (NRM) expenditure
The financial cost to landholders of preventing or managing natural resource management issues on their land. It includes material costs, purchases of minor equipment and payments to contractor or employees (including owners paid as employee). It excludes voluntary or unpaid work, and capital equipment and depreciation costs.
Natural Resource Management (NRM) issues
Any issue relating to or impacting on the environment's natural and physical resources or the management and long term sustainability of those resources.
Pest
A noxious, destructive or troublesome animal or insect.
Pest activities
Activities undertaken on the holding to prevent or manage pest-related issues, including the use of pesticides, biological control, baiting or trapping, shooting, fencing and/or netting, grazing management and crutching.
Pest issues
Issues associated with the presence of pests on the holding, including damage to native vegetation, decreased crop production or damage, and killed or harmed livestock.
Pesticide
Any substance or mixture of substances intended for killing, controlling, or managing insects, rodents, fungi, weeds, and other forms of plant or animal life that are considered to be pests. Herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and rodenticides are all pesticides.
Preventative activities
Activities undertaken to deter or prevent natural resource management issues arising.
Remedial activities
Activities undertaken to rectify or manage existing natural resource management issues.
Riparian zone
The vegetated corridor along streams and rivers.
Salinity
Soil salinity is the presence of concentrations of salt in the soil profile and can be a form of land degradation.
Sodicity
The build up of sodium in the soil resulting in poor water infiltration, surface crusting, erosion and water-logging.
Soil acidity
An important soil chemical characteristic that influences plant growth, soil microbial activity, and the physical structure of the soil. Land affected by soil acidity is land with a decline in pH to below pH 5.
Soil compaction
Reduction of the total pore space in soil, resulting from applied loads,vibration or pressure. Compacted soil retains less water and resists root penetration.
Surface waterlogging
The lowering of land productivity through the rise in ground-water close to the soil surface. Soil is waterlogged when it is saturated with water, causing air to be displaced from soil pores to the point that there is not enough oxygen for full root activity.
Water activities
Activities undertaken on the holding to prevent or manage water-related issues, including water testing, removal of stock from waterways and water bodies, fencing to protect riparian zones and stream banks, and monitoring of the ground-water table.
Water issues
Issues impacting on water quality and availability, including water clarity, excess nutrient load, and the occurrence of a toxicity event.
Weeds
A plant that interferes with the management objectives at a particular location. It is a plant growing where it is not wanted. Weeds may damage crops or poison livestock when growing in pasture.
Weed activities
Activities undertaken on the holding to prevent or manage weed-related issues, including application of herbicides, use of biological control agents, slashing, cutting or mowing, cultivation, pulling, manual removal or chipping and burning.
Weed issues
Issues associated with the presence of weeds on the holding, including decreased value of production, blocked water courses, increased fire risk, poisoned stock, and decreased value of the holding.
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