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TREE REMOVALS AND SALINE SEEPAGE IN VICTORIAN CATCHMENTS: SOME HYDROLOGIC AND ECONOMIC RESULTS *
Author(s) -
Greig P. J.,
Devonshire P. G.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
australian journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.683
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1467-8489
pISSN - 0004-9395
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8489.1981.tb00391.x
Subject(s) - streams , clearing , hydrology (agriculture) , drainage basin , salinity , clearance , environmental science , water resource management , geography , ecology , geology , computer science , economics , medicine , computer network , geotechnical engineering , cartography , finance , urology , biology
Average salt concentrations in a number of Victorian streams are related statistically to the proportions of their catchments cleared of trees for agriculture and to other catchment variables. A causal relationship is assumed, so that an economic evaluation of one of the external benefits of tree retention in a given catchment can be estimated. This is done by using the model to predict stream salinity increases that would occur with further clearing, and estimating the costs of such increases by either the costs experienced by water users, or the costs of restoring stream salinity to the original level. The methods are illustrated by application to a representative catchment.