The Salinity Project will identify, collect, collate, map and review local, scientific, and historical knowledge to determine the extent and nature of salinity in the Lake Eyre Basin. It will then identify areas at high risk or requiring further investigation.

Coordinating Group Chief Executive, Peter McLeod says they will be advertising for a Salinity Officer early in 2002 and then it is down to business.

“This project, in some ways, characterises much of our project work,” says Peter McLeod, “- proactive rather than reactive.”

“We don’t want to get to the point where we are saying ‘Oh my gosh! We have a salinity problem. Our management practices of the past 25 years have caused this.’

“We want to know the current state of salinity in the Basin, identify the threats, acknowledge sound management and be able to say, ‘The Lake Eyre Basin doesn’t have a salinity problem because the community acknowledged the risks and adopted world’s best practice to avoid potential problems’.”

Peter McLeod says that the initial stage of the project is essentially a knowledge gathering exercise and hopes the knowledge will be used in the regional planning activities of state and local governments and catchment committees.