SA’s landscape boards selected for national soil monitoring program
South Australia’s landscape boards are playing a key role in a national soil monitoring effort, with seven boards selected to collect soil samples across the state.
Led by CSIRO and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the National Soil Monitoring Program will sample approximately 3,000 sites Australia-wide and take around 30,000 samples to build a nationally consistent picture of soil health and long-term trends.
Between 2025 and 2028, landscape boards from seven South Australian regions — Limestone Coast, Murraylands and Riverland, Hills and Fleurieu, Kangaroo Island, SA Arid Lands, Eyre Peninsula and Northern and Yorke — will contribute to the national program, with the Limestone Coast Landscape Board leading project delivery on behalf of all regions
Together, they will test 346 sites, with field teams taking samples from diverse soil types and land uses to characterise the soil and collect information about the sampling sites and land management practices.
The National Soil Monitoring Program aims to fill a critical knowledge gap. Currently, Australia lacks nationally consistent, long-term measured soil monitoring data to guide land management decisions and inform investment in climate-smart, sustainable agriculture.
Accurate soil data, collected and analysed to a high standard, is essential to understanding the condition and trajectory of Australia’s soil and allow appropriate responses to changes over time.
Project Lead Ehsan Sayad of the Limestone Coast Landscape Board said, “Maintaining healthy soils is critical to productivity. If we can better understand the nature of our soils and their vulnerability, we can better manage our environment. For example, we can improve our resilience to natural disasters and improve the efficient use of water.
“We are seeking vibrant and prosperous communities across the state and understanding the health of our soil will help land managers to make decisions about their management practices long into the future.”
Data collected through the program will be made publicly accessible via the Australian National Soil Information System, enabling farmers, land managers, policymakers and researchers to benefit from reliable, long-term soil information.
Delivering the program will also boost extension services for land managers and strengthen local capacity in soil management, alongside other integrated land management practices that are part of good natural resource management.
The National Soil Monitoring Program has been supported by funding through the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) in collaboration with CSIRO.
Visit the Limestone Coast Landscape Board website for more information.
