Preface by Peter Coyne
This book serves a number of purposes, providing hope and expectation to farmers and the rural communities of Western Australia that the devastation and losses caused by salinity may be reversed and the land returned to production within the current generation of farmers.

Agencies charged with the responsibility for salinity and land degradation for many years have been negative in their approach to the fight. Their suggestions included “ no amount of revegetation or engineering solutions would save the upper reaches of the Avon and Blackwood
rivers”, or “I accept that some of the stream systems in the South West will be irreversibly lost”. Other statements sure to cause farmers concern include “ people might have to live with encroaching salt unless farmers could be convinced to move away from traditional practices and the State embark on a massive revegetation program”. Another has warned “ that between 50 and 60 per cent of farming land could be lost to salinity. He said the widely accepted prediction of 30 per cent was conservative”. Then added “ I think we have to do our best to control it but to solve it, I’m not sure we can do that.”

Salinity is a commercial and environmental problem requiring a commercial solution. To effect positive, swift and meaningful results, responsibility for action should be transferred to the major stakeholders, including the Shires, farmers, rural residents and businesses in these areas.  The State Salinity Strategy released in 2000 was the culmination of 10 years investigation into the problem before deciding on a course of action. In that ten years saline land increased from 1.0m hectares to 2.0m hectares and is forecast to double again in a reasonably short time. Now
another new report has recommended the scrapping of the earlier Strategy.

When will Governments ever wake up to these agencies and bureaucrats who continually push for yet more investigation and research. This serves to guarantee their continued employment. It does not develop creative solutions, but perpetuates the culture of salinity management established in the 50’s and 60’s. This publication -- and all the research, reports and investigations advancing the projects -- has been carried out privately by competent professional people whose credentials appear in this book. Funding was privately sourced with not one cent coming from agency or government sources. The reports contained within this publication are at arms length and independent and were commissioned so as to obtain an unbiased view of the problem and possible solutions. The authors are named and stand behind their findings and reports. They are not the usual “faceless men,” so often encountered.
I urge all readers to come to their own conclusions about the contents, and if satisfied that the proposals are sensible and rational, to communicate those views or concerns to the authors so that a collective, determined and focused voice can be directed to the Government.
Peter Coyne

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