What are the main environmental issues in the tropics?
Degradation of the soil resource through salinity, erosion, long term monoculture, exposure of acid sulphate soils and loss of biodiversity is a serious threat to tropical production systems, while the export of sediments, salts, nutrients and contaminants to ground waters, waterways, wetlands and the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon are just a few of the environmental issues facing tropical Australia. For the past 200 years the Australian countryside has been exposed to intensive agricultural practices better suited to temperate regions, and some regions of the Australian tropics are no exception. The far-reaching consequences of inappropriate land use is damaging Australian industry as well as affecting environmental systems in the tropics and elsewhere in the country.
