Soil health

Overview

Healthy soils support their natural local ecosystems. Disturbance disrupts these systems. In many cases, disruption leads to unintended consequences for other natural assets – such as waterways, biodiversity, vegetation – or leads to impacts on built assets such as human habitation, roads, pipelines and other structures. The region is subject to a variety of geohazards, among which landslides and erosion have the most significant impact. Over the past fifty years, landslides have resulted in loss of life and many millions of dollars damage to municipal infrastructure and development. Soil erosion by water and wind has also impacted on the region’s waterways and environment, threatening a diverse range of assets from urban water quality to Ramsar-listed wetlands. More assets are placed at risk each year, as the increasing regional population results in an acceleration of anthropogenic modifications to landscapes.

Round bales in pasture