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SECTION 2
Costs of Poor Riparian Management
The land alongside your waterways is probably the most productive on your farm, but it is also the most vulnerable to the damaging impacts of stock.
Thanks to its deeper soils and higher moisture content, riparian land often has good, green feed when the rest of the farm has dried off. Riparian areas offer more shade and shelter, and in hot weather it can be tempting to give your stock access so that they can cool off in the water.
It probably seems counter-intuitive, then, to restrict stock from your riparian land. Riparian areas are, however, easily damaged by stock that eat and trample the vegetation, destroy the soil structure, and release large amounts of dung and urine in and around the waterway.
Subsidies and other incentives are usually available to farmers to install watering systems when they agree to fence-off their riparian areas.
Some of the problems that can develop as a result of poor riparian management, and their negative impacts on farm productivity, waterway health and the community, are described below.
Damage
Destruction of riparian grasses, trees and shrubs caused by eating and trampling.
Cost
Animal welfare issues, as a result of lost shade and shelter.
Reduced biodiversity, due to loss of food and habitat.
Ecosystem loses ability to capture and recycle carbon.
Damage
Erosion, because plant roots can no longer bind the soil.
Cost
Loss of valuable land and top soil.
Banks become unstable and dangerous for stock and people.
Damage
Loose, unprotected soil is dislodged by stock trampling and wading, and enters the waterway (turbidity and sedimentation).
Cost
Drainage problems caused by sediment build up.
Aquatic life declines due to lack of oxygen and restricted passage.
Damage
Increased water temperatures, due to loss of overhanging riparian vegetation.
Cost
Proliferation of nuisance algae.
Decline in native fish and other important aquatic organisms.
Loss of recreational amenities eg fishing, swimming, kayaking.
Damage
Urine and dung produced by stock in and around the waterway pollutes the water supply.
Cost
Spread of disease and parasites that affect both stock and humans.
Water no longer fit for stock or human consumption.
Algal growth.
Damage
Stock destroy the soil structure (pugging and compaction).
Cost
Native vegetation and grasses unable to grow.
Weeds proliferate.
Erosion, turbidity and sedimentation.
Damage
Riparian vegetation cannot slow the flow of water.
Cost
Erosion and sedimentation.
In heavy rain events, the risk of flood and loss of infrastructure (eg bridges, crossings), stock and human life.
Damage
Riparian vegetation cannot filter the nutrients and sediment contained in run-off.
Cost
Fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides pollute the water supply.
Algal growth.
Turbidity and sedimentation.
Damage
The water table rises, because deep-rooted plants are not cycling rainwater.
Cost
Loss of valuable land through salinity or waterlogging.
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