Providing social and economic data to support regional natural resource management in the Burnett Mary

This report presents a summary of key findings from a mailed survey to 1,000 landholders in the Burnett Mary region in 2004. The final response rate for this survey was 60%. The survey gathered baseline information regarding the key social and economic factors affecting landholder decision-making about the adoption of practices expected to improve the management of natural resources in the Burnett Mary region. Survey findings highlighted that many of the priority issues identified in the draft natural resource management plan for the Burnett Mary region are not considered amongst the most pressing issues facing rural communities. Three of the top five issues identified by landholders related to social issues including the availability of important services, lack of long term opportunities for young people and reduced employment opportunities. While some production and environmental issues such the impact of pest plants and animals and decline in soil health were considered important by many respondents, others such as dryland salinity, soil acidity, decline of native vegetation, deteriorating water quality and lack of awareness about Aboriginal cultural heritage sites were not rated as important issues by most landholders.