Natural resources and climate

Water research
Water & primary industries

Information on all aspects of water, a precious resource, and its use in primary industries.

Land use planning
Land Use Planning

This section assists proponents and local councils plan for sustainable agricultural development with policies and guidelines, information on agricultural mapping and statistical data.

Thumbnail of a landscape
Position statement on natural resource management

Describes the principles which the Department of Primary Industries will promote so that the interactions between people, natural and production landscapes, and aquatic habitats are effectively managed.

  • Soil health and fertility
    Examines all aspects of soil health, soil nutrition and general soil management.
  • Private forestry
    Information on private forestry which refers to the practice of growing of trees on private land and includes "agroforestry" and "farm forestry".
  • Water & irrigation
    Information about Irrigation, water quality, testing, dams and water storage, drought strategies for water supply and watering livestock.
  • Salinity
    Salinity is a threat to the health of rural land and the environment. Irrigation and dryland salinity are among the most important natural resource issues facing agriculture in Australia.
  • Native vegetation
    A growing awareness of the potential environmental impacts and economic costs of continued broadscale clearing has led the community and government to seek better management of our native vegetation assets.
  • Biodiversity
    Biodiversity is the variety of life forms, the genes they contain, the ecosystems they form, and the interactions between life forms and the environment.
  • Land Use Planning
    Agriculture NSW helps plan for sustainable agriculture development.
  • Climate and weather
    Information on NSW climate, weather and forecasting.
  • I&I NSW integrated Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Program Plan (summary)
    The NSW Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (MER) Strategy was established to focus the resources of NSW natural resource and environment agencies and other natural resource managers to establish a system of monitoring, evaluation and reporting on natural resource condition.
  • The Smart Farms Projects
    NutrientSmart Farms & WaterSmart Farms are working with landholders in the Lower Hawkesbury Nepean region to improve nutrient management and water use efficiency.
  • Links to guidelines for socio-economic analysis of natural resource management decisions
    These guidelines encourage a common approach to assessing the socio-economic impacts of natural resource management decisions. They are intended to be used by individuals and agencies responsible for assessing the socio-economic impacts of natural resource management decisions across NSW.
  • NSW Land and Water Advisory Panel