In mid-May I spoke at a CSIRO Climate Change conference, which looked at the range of issues facing land managers and broader communities.

One of the critical problems our agricultural industries face is a lack of relevant information that helps farmers and agribusiness professionals manage the impacts of climate change.

An obvious impact is longer, drier and more frequent droughts.

But there are other risks too.

Increasing temperatures could change the patterns and lifespan of certain pests such as fruit flies.

This could have major implications for treatment and management programs in our key citrus growing regions.

Such changes could also affect quarantine programs the world over.

As Minister for Natural Resources, I also have to be concerned about the potential threats to our coastal areas and industries.

The global sea level has risen at a rate of between one and two millimetres each year over the last century – and a continuing rise has the potential to affect virtually every aspect of life along our coastal regions.

It could potentially lead to loss of sandy beaches, increased flood levels, and problems with local drainage and sewage systems.

Wharves, jetties and boat ramps may become inoperable and need to be moved.

Wetlands, mangroves and salt marshes will experience landward migration.

The issue of climate change will no doubt become a key driver for the Department of Primary Industries and the Department of Natural Resources in the years to come.

Already they have innovative programs in place that are helping landholders and industries anticipate and deal with the challenges.

The NSW DPI, for instance, recently secured funding under the NSW Greenhouse Plan to help farmers make better management decisions using the best science and economic data available about climate change in a format they can understand and use.

The Department of Natural Resources is also undertaking a preliminary assessment of climate change impacts and adaptation options for coastal NSW.

Our knowledge of the extent of climate change and its ramifications is improving, but we will continue to need more sophisticated scientific data, through organisations like CSIRO and others.

At the same time, we cannot afford to wait for all of the information to be created before we begin to act.

Measures taken now that help mitigate the impacts of climate change are fundamental investments in the future of our communities, our environment, and our economies.

Over the coming months I look forward to updating the readers of Ag Today on developments in this area.