Safeguarding Soil and Water Quality

In many countries, community awareness and concern about environmental issues has resulted in an increased interest in and requirement for assessment and monitoring of soil and water quality. This paper reviews the types of indicators which are commonly advocated for these purposes, and concludes that better interpretive guidelines for indicators are needed if these guidelines are to be defensible. More work also needs to be done to decrease the cost of appropriate monitoring and to encourage its wider and more intense use. Recent developments in new techniques, and community-based monitoring programmes in Australia are discussed. Active and well targeted assessment and monitoring programmes by themselves are not sufficient to safeguard soil and water quality. Increased emphasis needs to be given to the development of new land use systems and practices, which address the environmental priorities identified through assessment and monitoring, and which also ensure the financial viability of land managers. Scientists have important roles to play in all of the above processes. Research is one important role, but there is much to be gained from scientists facilitating communication between land managers and policy makers. These gains include the advancement of reforms to land management which have the potential to safeguard soil and water quality, and which are likely to be adopted by land managers and local communities.