Providing social data to underpin catchment planning in the Queensland Murray Darling region
his report presents findings from a survey to 1,000 landholders in the Queensland Murray Darling in 2003. This research has highlighted a number of important challenges and strategies for efforts to improve the management of natural resources on private property in the Queensland Murray-Darling region. The information contained within this report also provides critical baseline information and presents an opportunity to track changes over time and contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of natural resource management activities across the region. Survey findings highlighted that many of the priority issues identified in the draft natural resource management plan for the Queensland Murray Darling are not considered amongst the most pressing issues facing rural communities. Three of the top four issues identified by landholders related to social issues including the availability of important services, reduced employment opportunities and the decline of small towns. While some production and environmental issues such the impact of pest plants and animals (both on productivity and native species) and the availability of water for agriculture were considered important by most respondents, others such as dryland salinity, native vegetation decline, deteriorating water quality and lack of Aboriginal community access to culturally significant sites were not rated as important issues by most landholders.