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Soil Policy (Victoria, Australia)
Soil policy in Victoria refers to guidelines and regulations implemented by the state government of Victoria, Australia, to manage and protect the soil resources within its jurisdiction. History The soil policy framework in Victoria has evolved over time in response to various challenges and emerging environmental concerns. The state government recognized the importance of soil conservation and sustainable land use practices early on and has continuously refined its policies to address changing needs and knowledge. Objectives Soil policies in Victoria cover both agricultural and environmental needs. The key goals include: # Soil Conservation: This policy aims to prevent soil erosion, compaction, salinisation, and other forms of degradation through the adoption of appropriate land management practices. # Sustainable Land Use: This policy promotes sustainable land use practices that maintain or enhance soil fertility. This can be done through reducing the use of harmful che ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victoria (state)
Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in Australia (28 per km2). Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north and South Australia to the west, and is bounded by the Bass Strait to the south (with the exception of a small land border with Tasmania located along Boundary Islet), the Great Australian Bight portion of the Southern Ocean to the southwest, and the Tasman Sea (a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean) to the southeast. The state encompasses a range of climates and geographical features from its temperate coastal and central regions to the Victorian Alps in the northeast and the semi-arid north-west. The majority of the Victorian population is concentrated in the central-south area surrounding Port Phillip Bay, and in particular within the metropolita ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soil Conservation
Soil conservation is the prevention of loss of the topmost layer of the soil from erosion or prevention of reduced fertility caused by over usage, acidification, salinization or other chemical soil contamination. Slash-and-burn and other unsustainable methods of subsistence farming are practiced in some lesser developed areas. A sequel to deforestation is typically large-scale erosion, loss of soil nutrients and sometimes total desertification. Techniques for improved soil conservation include crop rotation, cover crops, conservation tillage and planted windbreaks, affect both erosion and fertility. When plants die, they decay and become part of the soil. Code 330 defines standard methods recommended by the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service. Farmers have practiced soil conservation for millennia. In Europe, policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy are targeting the application of best management practices such as reduced tillage, winter cover crops, p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soil Health
Soil health is a state of a soil meeting its range of ecosystem functions as appropriate to its environment. In more colloquial terms, the health of soil arises from favorable interactions of all soil components (living and non-living) that belong together, as in microbiota, plants and animals. It is possible that a soil can be healthy in terms of eco-system functioning but not necessarily serve crop production or human nutrition directly, hence the scientific debate on terms and measurements. Soil health testing is pursued as an assessment of this status but tends to be confined largely to agronomic objectives, for obvious reasons. Soil health depends on soil biodiversity (with a robust soil biota), and it can be improved via soil management, especially by care to keep protective living covers on the soil and by natural (carbon-containing) soil amendments. Inorganic fertilizers do not necessarily damage soil health if 1) used at appropriate and not excessive rates and 2) if the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Water Quality
Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through treatment of the water, can be assessed. The most common standards used to monitor and assess water quality convey the health of ecosystems, safety of human contact, extend of water pollution and condition of drinking water. Water quality has a significant impact on water supply and oftentimes determines supply options. Categories The parameters for water quality are determined by the intended use. Work in the area of water quality tends to be focused on water that is treated for potability, industrial/domestic use, or restoration (of an environment/ecosystem, generally for health of human/aquatic life). Human consumption Contaminants that may be in untreated water include microorganisms such as viruses, protozoa and bacteria ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North Central Victoria
North Central Victoria is a rural region in the Australian state of Victoria. The region lies to the south of the Victorian/New South Wales border as defined by the Murray River, to the southwest of the Hume region, to the west of the Great Dividing Range contained within the Central Highlands and Victorian Alps, to the north of Greater Melbourne, to the northeast of the Wimmera, and to the east of the Mallee region. As at the 2016 Australian census, the North Central region had a population of , representing the aggregate population of the eight local government areas that comprise the region. Location Sustainability Victoria, a Victorian Government agency, defines North Central Victoria as the municipalities of Buloke, Gannawarra, Loddon, Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Mount Alexander, Macedon Ranges and the City of Greater Bendigo. A climate change study by La Trobe University also includes the Shire of Hepburn within the region. The major urban centres are Bendi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the system through photosynthesis and is incorporated into plant tissue. By feeding on plants and on one another, animals play an important role in the movement of matter and energy through the system. They also influence the quantity of plant and microbial biomass present. By breaking down dead organic matter, decomposers release carbon back to the atmosphere and facilitate nutrient cycling by converting nutrients stored in dead biomass back to a form that can be readily used by plants and microbes. Ecosystems are controlled by external and internal factors. External factors such as climate, parent material which forms the soil and topography, control the overall structure of an ecosystem but are not themselves influenced by the ecosyst ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Environment Protection Authority (Victoria)
The Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) is Victoria’s environmental regulator. EPA is an independent statutory authority, established in 1971 under the ''Environment Protection Act 1970'' (EP Act). EPA's role is to prevent and reduce the harmful effects of pollution and waste on Victorians and their environment. EPA sits within the portfolio of Energy, Environment and Climate Change; the Minister of which is the Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio MP as of December 2019. History Established under the ''Environment Protection Act 1970'', EPA is the world's third oldest environmental regulatory agency. It was established to address environmental problems across the state in a systematic and integrated way, bringing together a range of legislation and powers to be administered by a central authority. In July 2021 the ''Environment Protection Amendment Act 2018'' will come into effect, transforming the structure under which EPA works. The cornerstone of the new Act is the gener ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Environmental Law In Victoria
Environmental law in Victoria concerns the laws and legal measures taken to protect human health and the environment and tackling Environmental issues in Australia happening in the state of Victoria, Australia. Federal legislation Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is Australia's principal environmental legislation. It creates a legal framework to protect places, plants, animals, habitats and heritage sites. This act also sets rules regarding the national or international trade of wildlife. Victorian Acts and Regulations General Acts ''Environment Protection Act 1970'' The Environment Protection Act 1970 established the Environment Protection Authority, Victoria's independent statutory authority and environment regulator and set out the rules that regulates its operation. ''National Environment Protection Council (Victoria) Act 1995'' This Act is complementary t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Department Of Energy, Environment And Climate Action
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) is a government department in Victoria, Australia. It is responsible for various matters related to the environment, energy and climate change. The department was renamed from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning on 1 January 2023. It was created in the aftermath of the 2022 state election, with Premier Daniel Andrews announcing that several portfolios would be changing. Responsibilities such as urban planning were ceded to the new Department of Transport and Planning, while other responsibilities from other agencies such as agriculture, resources and energy programs were transferred from the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions to the DEECA. Ministers , the DEECA supports four ministers in the following portfolio areas: Responsibilities DEECA will have responsibility for the following policy areas: * Environment * Energy * Wildlife * Heritage * Climate change * Waste and resource recovery ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Environment Of Australia
The Australian environment ranges from virtually pristine Antarctic territory and rainforests to degraded industrial areas of major cities. Forty distinct ecoregions have been identified across the Australian mainland and islands. Central Australia has a very dry climate. The interior has a number of deserts while most of the coastal areas are populated. Northern Australia experiences tropical cyclones while much of the country is prone to periodic drought. This dry and warm environment and exposure to cyclones, makes Australia particularly vulnerable to climate change -- with some areas already experiencing increases in wildfires and fragile ecosystems. The island ecology of Australia has led to a number of unique endemic plant and animal species, notably marsupials like the kangaroo and koala. Agriculture and mining are predominant land uses which cause negative impacts on many different ecosystems. The management of the impact on the environment from the mining industry ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soil Science
Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils.Jackson, J. A. (1997). Glossary of Geology (4. ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: American Geological Institute. p 604. Sometimes terms which refer to branches of soil science, such as pedology (formation, chemistry, morphology, and classification of soil) and edaphology (how soils interact with living things, especially plants), are used as if synonymous with soil science. The diversity of names associated with this discipline is related to the various associations concerned. Indeed, engineers, agronomists, chemists, geologists, physical geographers, ecologists, biologists, microbiologists, silviculturists, sanitarians, archaeologists, and specialists in regional planning, all contribute to further kn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Land Management In Australia
Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islands. Earth's land surface is almost entirely covered by regolith, a layer of rock, soil, and minerals that forms the outer part of the crust. Land plays important roles in Earth's climate system and is involved in the carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, and water cycle. One-third of land is covered in trees, 15% is used for crops, and 10% is covered in permanent snow and glaciers. Land terrain varies greatly and consists of mountains, deserts, plains, plateaus, glaciers, and other landforms. In physical geology, the land is divided into two major categories: mountain ranges and relatively flat interiors called cratons. Both are formed over millions of years through plate tectonics. A major part of Earth's water cycle, streams shape the landsca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
