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The Australian Development Gateway (ADG) strives to support members of the development community in their efforts to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region. The site has been created with participation from members of government, private, academia and non-government organisations. User feedback mechanisms have been incorporated to guide future directions of the site. The site is optimised for low bandwidth access to enable the widest participation throughout the Asia Pacific region.

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Integrated water management

Managing saline groundwater impacts from irrigation (pdf 265kb)

Irrigated agriculture often leads to recharge to local and regional groundwater systems greater than what the systems can absorb, resulting in the development of shallow watertables causing salinity and waterlogging.

Policy based on emissions trading offers one option for effective management of existing recharge externalities if effective property rights to diffuse emissions can be defined.

This paper combines the conclusions drawn from biophysical research with economic principles underpinning emissions trading to present such a system.

It discusses the economic impacts of adopting such a policy in the Coleambally Irrigation area in south-western New South Wales, Australia.

 

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