THE AUSTRALIAN Greens have condemned moves by the Rudd Government to shut down the Land and Water Australia (LWA) rural research and development corporation.
It's more evidence that the Government is "totally clueless" on natural resource management and sustainable agriculture, the Greens say.
"Land and Water Australia is one of the few sources of funding for essential research into tackling some of Australia's biggest environmental problems," according to Senator Rachel Siewert.
"And it has been engaging farmers in managing the health of our soil, water and remnant native vegetation.
"Shutting down LWA will cut the legs out from under a whole string of ongoing research projects where LWA is one of the funding partners.
"For a significant amount of this research, extension and technology transfer there is no-one else to turn to for funding and support.
"Projects include crucial work that focuses on helping farmers manage climate variability, tackling growing problems with environmental weeds, sustainable irrigation practices and managing biodiversity and native vegetation in mixed landscapes.
"Ministers Tony Burke and Peter Garrett clearly do not understand the significance of the crucial gaps in our knowledge in sustainable agriculture and natural resource management.
"With many of the serious problems that the Caring for Our Country program aspires to address, there simply isn't the knowledge base or sustainable farming systems available to sustain or remediate threatened landscapes.
"LWA's current work on seasonal forecasting and agricultural productivity in the WA wheatbelt is (an example) - absolutely crucial to the ongoing viability of our regional towns and our food security.
"This move is a yet another step backwards for natural resource management in Australia.
"This further reduces our scientific capacity to mitigate and adapt to the threats climate change poses to our environment and our way of life in our hour of need.
"With all the Rudd Government rhetoric about evidence-based policy, Burke and Garrett should be backing science, not slashing it."
Another blast has come from Professor David Brunckhorst, director of the Institute for Rural Futures at, University of New England, which has led several LWA-funded research projects.
“Research funded by LWA has delivered innovative, practical and real results to farmers and landmanagers across Australia," he says.
"Clearly not all the answers have been found. Accelerating declines of the environment, the production base, water quality and availability and globalclimate change are crucial issues we face as a nation.
"By abolishing LWA, the government will be compounding social and ecological debt, leaving us with an inability to cope with future change.”
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