JLE

Science et changements planétaires / Sécheresse

MENU

La sécheresse en Australie et le pastoralisme : phénomènes instructifs ou occasion perdue ? Volume 6, issue 1, Mars 1995

Author
Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, South Australia 5371, Australie.
  • Page(s) : 127-34
  • Published in: 1995

Drought is a naturally recurring feature of the Australian environment. The differences between agricultural and meteorological drought are explained. Drought could be viewed as an extreme event of such severity that the risks greatly exceed those reasonably considered acceptable under a normal risk management strategy. The changing attitudes to drought relief normal are traced and the failure of past policies (a form of crisis response concentrating on animal production and welfare) is analysed. Drought management must be acknowledged as part of the wider drive for ecological and economic sustainability. The relationship between desertification and drought is discussed. Examples of corporate-type responses are presented. The lessons learned from the responses to Australian droughts are outlined. The value of better drought prediction and the effect of the El Nino Southern Oscillation on rainfall patterns are discussed.