Bushfire recovery support and resources now available for land managers affected by the Deep Creek and Nangkita fires.
Understanding your responsibilities as a land manager.
Whether you’re a primary producer, rural lifestyler, bush block owner, or somewhere in between - all landowners and agistees have legal responsibilities around maintaining their land under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. These responsibilities help protect South Australia’s natural resources and ensure sustainable land management for future generations.
Land manager responsibilities aim to:
Minimise risks of soil erosion and soil degradation
Ensure equitable sharing of water for users and the environment and minimise impacts on watercourses and swamps
Mitigate impacts from pest plants and animals
Land manager responsibilities include
Protecting soil health
Soil is a valuable resource that takes many thousands of years to form. Soil movement from over-grazed or tilled areas can significantly impact water quality and marine environments far from the source of the issue. Topsoil losses can have significant agricultural impacts. As a landholder you must prevent soil erosion and degradation by:
- Maintaining adequate vegetation cover
- Avoiding overgrazing
- Implementing erosion control measures.
Ensuring equitable water use
Water is a shared community resource with environmental, cultural, and economic value. Land managers must:
- Use water responsibly and equitably
- Avoid constructing, enlarging or modifying dams without approval^.
- Apply for a Water Affecting Activity Permit before undertaking works in any watercourse including dams, watercourses, floodplains, lakes or wetlands
^Note: Since 2013, the construction of new dams and the enlargement of existing dams has not been permitted across the Eastern and Western Mount Lofty Ranges. This includes any water storage structures such as wetlands, ponds or basins, that collect and retain surface water runoff.
Controlling declared weeds and pest animals
Pest plants and animals are declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019 because they are considered a threat to agriculture, the natural environment or public health and safety. This means that restrictions may apply on keeping, moving, selling or releasing them.
In some situations, there may be a requirement to control declared plants and animals on your property.
Refer to the Department of Primary Industries and Regions for a full list of declared species and their specific declarations.
Protecting cultural heritage
Evidence of land use by the Kaurna, Peramangk and Ngarrindjeri people is present across many parts of the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula. Features such as scar trees, middens, hearths, burial sites and stone arrangements may still be found, particularly near watercourses, wetlands, and lakes.
If you are planning any development, it is important to consider the potential presence of Aboriginal Heritage.
Landowners are encouraged to conduct a search via the Taa Wika portal before commencing works. In addition, some Aboriginal groups may offer site assessments to help you understand and respect cultural values associated with the land.
Landscape South Australia Act