Gully erosion on a banana property at Woolgoolga before remediation work was carried out

On the steep slopes behind Woolgoolga near Coffs Harbour, banana grower Jinderpal Rai had difficulties accessing his plantation because the tracks were eroding and contributing to gully erosion. As well, his blueberry orchard was losing soil from the bare ground between the rows.

With the help of $9000 from the Soil Erosion Solutions program, Jinderpal re-formed his tracks using concrete and gravel surfaces where necessary; installed banks to divert water off the tracks and away from the gullies; planted out gullies with native trees and shrubs; and stabilised the blueberry orchard floor with a grass cover crop.

The works have reduced sediment and nutrient losses and made his plantation operations more sustainable. Plantation access and soil health have improved.

Soil Erosion Solutions (SES) is funded by the Northern Rivers CMA, and run by NSW DPI in partnership with local landcare community support officers in the region.

The project provides funding to landholders for onground works. NSW DPI soil advisory officer Abigail Jenkins and SES project officer Stephanie Alt also hold field days at project sites and have produced a series of fact sheets.

The initial one year project has been so successful in helping landholders control severe soil erosion that the CMA has now funded DPI to manage two more SES projects.

At the end of the first year 17 landholders have undertaken works on their properties.

In the Richmond / Tweed catchments two macadamia farmers reshaped their orchard floor drainage and established shade tolerant groundcover, and other landholders have stabilised sites with mass movement, tunnel erosion and an active gully.

In the Coffs / Bellinger catchments steep lands such as Jinderpal Rai’s property were the focus, with landholders funded to safely remove bananas, remove noxious weeds, establish pasture, and revegetate gullies.

In the Clarence catchment the focus was on stabilising gullies and repairing cultivated land.

In the Nambucca / Macleay catchments an active gully was stabilised, a former banana plantation was reshaped and sewn to pasture on the flatter terrain and planted with trees on the steeper slopes, and an indigenous group is rehabilitating a former banana slope with native tree planting.

The second stage for the SES project will fund seven landholder projects in the Richmond catchment, and NSW DPI is now calling for applications for the third round of funding to address gully erosion in the Mid Clarence, Upper Clarence and Casino areas, and steep land erosion in the Tweed and Byron Local Government areas.

The Soil Erosion Solutions team will continue to run field days and training events to share knowledge about how to reduce soil erosion from farms, and also offer technical support in project planning.

The team is currently compiling a technical manual for landholders to provide more detailed information on soil erosion management and rehabilitation.

For more information contact Abigail Jenkins at NSW DPI on 02 6626 1357 or email abigail.jenkins@dpi.nsw.gov.au