Marla-Oodnadatta

MARLA-OODNADATTA SOIL CONSERVATION BOARD DISTRICT PLAN Marla-Oodnadatta Soil Conservation Board September 2002 Produced with the assistance of the National Heritage Trust and the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation i Marla-Oodnadatta Soil Conservation District Plan Cover photograph: The late Andy Smith, Macumba stockman, 1993. Marla-Oodnadatta Soil Conservation District Plan i Contents Foreword..................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements .....................................................................................................iv Summary.......................................................................................................................5 Introduction..................................................................................................................7 Membership of the Marla-Oodnadatta Soil Conservation Board ..............................7 Role of the Board.......................................................................................................8 Duty of Landholders ..................................................................................................8 Aims of the Board......................................................................................................8 Aims of the District Plan............................................................................................9 Legislation..................................................................................................................9 Review of the District Plan......................................................................................10 Description Of The District.......................................................................................12 Introduction..............................................................................................................12 Climate.....................................................................................................................13 Geology....................................................................................................................18 Land Systems ...........................................................................................................20 Water Resources ......................................................................................................46 Land Use ..................................................................................................................51 Present Land Use .....................................................................................................56 Infrastructure and Services ......................................................................................61 Land Management.....................................................................................................63 Land Capability........................................................................................................63 Rangeland Condition ...............................................................................................63 Management of Rangeland Condition .....................................................................64 Production Indicators and Constraints.....................................................................66 Water Resources Management ................................................................................74 Stocking Strategies...................................................................................................77 Rabbits .....................................................................................................................80 Other Feral Animals.................................................................................................81 Insects ......................................................................................................................83 Kangaroos ................................................................................................................84 Wind Erosion ...........................................................................................................85 Water Erosion ..........................................................................................................86 ii Marla-Oodnadatta Soil Conservation District Plan Scalding....................................................................................................................87 Fire ...........................................................................................................................88 Woody Shrub Increase.............................................................................................90 Introduced Weeds ....................................................................................................91 Conservation and Biodiversity.................................................................................96 Cultural Heritage....................................................................................................102 Tourism and Recreation.........................................................................................104 Mining and Exploration .........................................................................................107 Property Management Planning.............................................................................110 Pastoral Lease Assessment ....................................................................................111 Diversification........................................................................................................113 Landcare Activities ................................................................................................113 References.................................................................................................................116 Three Year Programme ..........................................................................................120 Aims of the Soil Conservation Board ....................................................................120 Goals and Strategies to Meet Aims........................................................................120 Appendices................................................................................................................125 APPENDIX A: Glossary........................................................................................125 APPENDIX B: Mean and Median Rainfall for Selected Stations.........................133 APPENDIX C: Explanation of Rainfall Deciles ...................................................134 APPENDIX D: Temperature Data for Oodnadatta, Marla & Kulgera ..................136 APPENDIX E: Scientific Names of Plants Referred To In the Plan.....................137 APPENDIX F: List of Alien Plant Species Recorded from the Marla-Oodnadatta SCD........................................................................................................................142 APPENDIX G: List of Plants Recorded from the Marla-Oodnadatta SCD ..........145 APPENDIX H: List of Animals Recorded from the Marla-Oodnadatta SCD.......170 APPENDIX I: A Plain English Guide to the Native Title Act 1993 .....................183 APPENDIX J: A Plain English Guide to the Wik Case ........................................193 APPENDIX K: Native Title Act: Diversification on Pastoral Leases...................197 APPENDIX L: Liaison Guidelines for Landholders and Mineral Explorers in South Australia.................................................................................................................202 Marla-Oodnadatta Soil Conservation District Plan iii FOREWORD When the Marla – Oodnadatta Soil Conservation Board was first gazetted during 1989 and its members appointed, it took on the task of preparing a dynamic and revisable District Plan. This is the first revision of our original District Plan (1997). This is still a useful and informative document for local land users, whether they are pastoralists, miners, Aborigines, conservationists, tourists or land administrators, and for those who simply have a genuine interest in the area. As the District Plan is a requirement under the Soil Conservation and Land Care Act of 1989 (which requires a “Duty of Care” over all land tenures), it has a particular relevance to all land users. The Board would like to stress however that while this Plan provides guidelines for sustainable land use, individual land managers will have their own localised strategies to achieve commercial productivity through sustainable use of the land. The first part of this document is descriptive, describing the physical features and natural resources inherent to this District. Land Management is dealt with in the second section with a framework for a Three Year Program for the Board detailed at the end of the document. This first review will be again revisited and reviewed in 2005. All past and present members of the Board are very much involved in land management within this District for which we are all particularly proud. Finally, the Board promotes commercial productivity, which relies totally on the natural environment that has to be managed as an ongoing renewable resource with its yield sustained and improved for the continued enjoyment and benefit of future generations. Digby Giles Chairperson Marla – Oodnadatta Soil Conservation Board iv Marla-Oodnadatta Soil Conservation District Plan ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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