Development and recommendations

This chapter describes how the Best Management Practice (BMP) guidelines for water quality improvement were developed for grazing and sugar lands, including engagement with landholders, and what the guidelines recommend for each industry. The BMP guidelines for grazing and sugar lands are documented by Coughlin et al. (2008) and Thorburn et al. (2007a) respectively and are included within the Resources folder on the accompanying CD.

The BMP development and engagement process, which was undertaken collaboratively with land holders, industry bodies, Government and the scientific community, entailed three (3) stages. Initially, current management practices and the science that underpinned these practices were reviewed with regard to achieving water quality outcomes. The reviews by Coughlin et al. (2007) and Davis (2006) of current management practice in grazing and sugar lands respectively, engaged landholders, industry extension workers and the scientific community to ensure an appropriate level of rigor. Stage two emphasised the process of engaging graziers and cane growers through workshops to develop management strategies that would ensure the guidelines were practical and grounded in reality. The specific details of the engagement process were adapted to meet differing industry characteristics. Stage three was centred on the draft guidelines and the extension process by which graziers and cane growers were involved in reviewing and further developing the guidelines. The BMP development and engagement activities combined both ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ processes.

The BMP guidelines for grazing lands were developed to support a sustainably managed and profitable beef industry and to maximise water quality and minimise the delivery of sediments and nutrients to aquatic ecosystems. Land condition indicators are used throughout the guidelines with regard to recommended management practices in order to assess trends in land condition and assist graziers in making management decisions. The guidelines explore the background to their development and the importance of adopting a whole-of-property planning approach that recognises different land and water types. Grazing land management practices are separated into upland areas and frontage country due to the importance of managing riparian areas and frontage (floodplain) country as unique components of a property’s pasture system.

The guidelines also identify three different types of water that need to be managed: catchment runoff and floodwater; ambient water; and pre-flush stormwater runoff.  The guidelines address the following management areas: managing uplands; managing frontage country; fencing frontage country; managing water bodies; and property wide management.

The BMP guidelines for sugar lands consider two main components: (1) an overarching hierarchical framework illustrating the links between water quality goals and on-farm management; and (2) a collation of current management strategies, tactics and actions for sugarcane growing in the Burdekin region that fit within the various levels of the hierarchy. Together these components provide the basis for assessing the potential water quality benefit of management practices and for developing specific on-farm management plans to improve water quality.