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All the News That Fits Australia and contributes 30-40% of our total tural production. Salination of the Murray F toealinercsed already costs the economy an estimated $215 ered ped oe seer et fut a ata ate million a year, according to the Minister for esahaa year on resources, Senator Cook. ; In just 5 years from 1982 to 1987 the eco: area of salinity seepage there doubled toan slopes and builds up in estimated 10,000 hectares. the valleys etc Austr tural alread millic Tesow) Ir area estim Soil natioy Feder Kerin of soi to the Many at 101 Soils Ain't Soils thes Farmers who cause soil erosion and salt prob- ment by shallow-rooted crops. More water _centr¢ lems on other properties should be penalised _ percolates through the soil and raises thenatu- _ losing on a ‘polluter pays’ basis, according to the _ral saline water-table throughout the catch- “f Federal National Soil Conservation Program. _ ment area. Farmers who cause salination are _tive ir A Federal tax on soil degraders has been _ often unaffected by the problem themselves. _ said proposed by Dr David Oram of Melbourne's “But farmers furtherdown thesiope ofthe —searc! La Trobe University. Water and wind-in- _ water-table are already paying a big price in Dy duced soil erosion costs Australia an esti- _ terms of lost land, downgraded capital values that mated $2 billion a year in lost production. and foregone production,” said Dr Oram, to 50 Dr Oram also urged the Soil Conservation “Taxes or levies are unpleasant, but those | Program to give farmers direct Federal subsi- causing the problem are rarely affected byit.” _ loss fi dies to encourage responsible land use, like The Federal Government is spending $47. 100 u the tax concessions now available for fencing, _milliontocombatsalinationanderosioninthe Edwa damming and contour construction. next 3 years and predicts that the Murray- tant & Salinity is caused by the removal of trees _ Darling Basin could be adesert withinacen- _ ods li from upper catchment areas andtheirreplace- tury. The Basin covers about one-seventh of durin; News from Space Mars Probes Venus Mapped The USSR has launched two unmanned | Exactly ten years after the US launched a probes to Mars. Phobos I & II were launched | Pioneer probe w orbit the planet Venus, from the Baikonur Space Centre five days | American scientists have published new apart in July for a journey lasting about 200 | Earth-based radar pictures which show what days. are probably lava flows, craters and volcanic “The goal of the mission is to explore | mountains. It seems that Venus has volcanoes Mars and its satellite Phobos, the Sun and | like Earth and Mars, despite its radically dif- interplanetary space,” according to Tass.The | ferent, thick acidic atmosphere. Some shapes probes are planned to come within 50 metres | are highly reflective, suggesting the presence of Phobos and each lower a landing craft of iron pyrites and other metallic minerals. One probe will move around in 20 metre | The largest of these masses is 560 km long. hops while the other will remain anchored to | These metals deteriorate overtime, so Venus the surface. has either had very recent and massive vulcan- They will also conduct detailed mapping | ism - or the surface is much younger than of the Martian surface and atmosphere. expected. The next unmanned Soviet flight is The planetary orbiter has mapped over planned for 1996-98, which is expected to | 90% of Venus’ surface, revealing 10,000 bring back Martian rock samples. metre mountain peaks and is expected to continue functioning until 1992. Agence France-Presse NEXUS New Times Six - Spring 198 at between | an! tonnes alia a) pping land as than 90 tonnpes 4 .on a year, according to the Minister for urces, Senator Cook. {n just 5 years from 1982 to 1987 the \ of salinity seepage there doubled toan nated 10,000 hectares. Soil Erosion | erosion has been described as the m’s major agricultural problem by the ral minister for Primary Industry, Mr n. Sloping land with less than one metre iil is most at risk of soil erosion, according te National Soil Conservation Program. y farms in northern NSW are losing soil ‘tonnes a hectare annually; more than 100 s faster than the soil is naturally replaced. A study based on trials at six NSW rural res found that nearly all farms were ig soll faster than it was being replaced. ‘Some of our farms could be unproduc- in less than three generations from now,” NSW Soil Conservation Service re- ther Keith Edwards,.the study's author ‘That isn’t very long when you consider many of them have only been in use for 40 ) years. ‘.. a property can suffer little or no soil for several years and then lose more than tonnes a hectare in one rainstorm.” Mr ards claims that many farmers are reluc- to adopt simple soil conservation meth- like leaving cereal stubble on paddocks ag high rainfall periods. nation’s major agricultural problem by the Federal minister for Primary Industry, Mr Kerin. Sloping land with less than one metre of soil is most at risk of soil erosion, according to the National Soil Conservation Program. Many farms in northem NSW are losing soil e Ca) ° at 10 tonnes a hectare annually; more than 100 S oils Ain t Soils times faster than the soil is naturally replaced. A study based on trials at six NSW rural Farmers who cause soil erosion andsaltprob- ment by shallow-rooted crops. More water centres found that nearly all farms were lems on other properties should be penalised _ percolates through the soilandraisesthenatu- _ losing soil faster than it was being replaced. on a ‘polluter pays’ basis, according to the _ral saline water-table throughout the catch- “Some of our farms could be unproduc- Federal National Soil Conservation Program. ment area. Farmers who cause salination are _tive in less than three generations from now,” A Federal tax on soil degraders has been _ often unaffected by the problem themselves. said NSW Soil Conservation Service re- proposed by Dr David Oram of Melbourne's “But farmers furtherdown thesiope ofthe searcher Keith Edwards,.the study's author La Trobe University. Water and wind-in- _ water-table are already paying a big price in “That isn't very long when you consider duced soil erosion costs Australia an esti- _ terms of lost land, downgraded capital values _ that many of them have only been in use for 40 mated $2 billion a year in lost production. and foregone production,” said Dr Oram, to 50 years. Dr Oram also urged the Soil Conservation “Taxes or levies are unpleasant, but those “*. @ property can suffer little or no soil Program to give farmers direct Federal subsi- causing the problem are rarely affected byit.” _loss for several years and then lose more than dies to encourage responsible land use, like The Federal Government is spending $47 —-100 tonnes a hectare in one rainstorm.” Mr the tax concessions now availableforfencing, milliontocombatsalinationanderosioninthe Edwards claims that many farmers are reluc- damming and contour construction. next 3 years and predicts that the Murray- tant to adopt simple soil conservation meth- Salinity is caused by the removal of tees _ Darling Basin could be adesert withinacen- _ ods like leaving cereal stubble on paddocks from upper catchment areas and theirreplace- tury. The Basin covers about one-seventh of —_ during high rainfall periods. Soils Ain't Soils Mars Probes Venus Mapped The USSR has launched two unmanned | Exactly ten years after the US launched a probes to Mars. Phobos I & II were launched | Pioneer probe w orbit the planet Venus, from the Baikonur Space Centre five days | American scientists have published new apart in July for a journey lasting about 200 | Earth-based radar pictures which show what days. are probably lava flows, craters and volcanic “The goal of the mission is to explore | mountains. It seems that Venus has volcanoes Mars and its satellite Phobos, the Sun and | like Earth and Mars, despite its radically dif- interplanetary space,” according to Tass.The | ferent, thick acidic atmosphere. Some shapes probes are planned to come within 50 metres | are highly reflective, suggesting the presence of Phobos and each lower a landing craft of iron pyrites and other metallic minerals. One probe will move around in 20 metre | The largest of these masses is 560 km long. hops while the other will remain anchored to | These metals deteriorate overtime, so Venus the surface. has either had very recent and massive vulcan- They will also conduct detailed mapping | ism - or the surface is much younger than of the Martian surface and atmosphere. expected. The next unmanned Soviet flight is The planetary orbiter has mapped over planned for 1996-98, which is expected to | 90% of Venus’ surface, revealing 10,000 bring back Martian rock samples. metre mountain peaks and is expected to continue functioning until 1992. Agence France-Presse Mars Probes Soil Erosion Soil erosion has been described as the Venus Mapped