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Lake Bed Cropping: Wetland Products (Australia)

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
The Wetland Book

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Abstract

Lakebed cropping is cropping on the bed of a lake while it is dry. The following types of lakebed cropping are undertaken in the Murray-Darling Basin in inland south-eastern Australia. They are: (i) cropping once only following recession of floodwaters; (ii) cropping once following rainfall; (iii) cropping following recession of floodwater or rainfall, followed by cultivation for a second crop; (iv) cropping between floods, with repeated cultivation to keep the ground bare between crops; (v) cropping following occasional release of water; and (vi) cropping following regular, usually annual water releases. The impacts of lakebed cropping on soil and on dryland and wetland biota depend on the type of lakebed cropping. Compared with other forms of cropping, most types of lakebed cropping in inland south-eastern Australia have low or moderate ecological impacts. The chapter concludes with recommendations for managing lakebed cropping.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Building 15, 2601, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Sue Briggs

Authors
  1. Sue Briggs
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sue Briggs .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia

    C. Max Finlayson

  2. International Water Security Network, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

    Mark Everard

  3. UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands

    Kenneth Irvine

  4. RM Wetlands and Environment Ltd., Littleworth, Oxfordshire, UK

    Robert J. McInnes

  5. U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, LA, USA

    Beth A. Middleton

  6. Aquatic Ecosystems Group, Department of Water Science and Engineering, UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands

    Anne A. van Dam

  7. Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia

    Nick C. Davidson

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Briggs, S. (2018). Lake Bed Cropping: Wetland Products (Australia). In: Finlayson, C.M., et al. The Wetland Book. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9659-3_208

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