ASSESSING MANAGEMENT OPTIONS TO REDUCE NUTRIENT OUTPUTS FROM CANE PRODUCTION IN THE HERBERT RIVER DISTRICT

The northern section of the Australian sugar industry operates in one of the more environmentally sensitive regions of the world, surrounded by World Heritage Wet Tropical Rainforest areas and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Since the release of the Great Barrier Reef Ministerial Council guidelines to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus output from canegrowing catchments draining into the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon, growers have been concerned about the impact of these restrictions on their farm incomes. The impact of some nutrient management options, for example, restrictions on cane growing on riparian lands and alternative fertiliser application strategies in the Herbert River canegrowing district, has been assessed. The potential area of cane that could be affected in sensitive riparian locations has been estimated using GIS technology and the impact on farmers’ incomes has been assessed with the assistance of a caneland allocation model previously used for other studies in the region.