SugarCane: Difference between revisions
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== Impacts == | == Impacts == | ||
*Runoff from sugar cane fields can be problematic | |||
**Pesticides like diuron, atrazine, hexazinone, and ametryn have been found to enter waters draining to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon from areas where sugar cane agriculture is one of the dominant land-use types. The concentration of many pesticides downstream from sugar cane production sites has also been found to exceed the maximum concentrations outlined by various water quality guidelines and standards.<ref name ="Lewis">Lewis, S. E., Brodie, J. E., Bainbridge, Z. T., Rohde, K. W., Davis, A. M., Masters, B. L., Maughan, M., et al. (2009). Herbicides: A new threat to the Great Barrier Reef. ''Environmental Pollution'', 157(8-9), 2470–2484. doi:doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2009.03.006</ref> | |||
== Mitigation Strategies == | == Mitigation Strategies == | ||
Revision as of 13:17, 2 March 2016
The Impacts of the Sugar Cane Industry on the Great Barrier Reef
Sugar Cane in Australia
- Sugar is one of the most important Australian crops, with a gross production value exceeding $1 billion per year.[1] The nation is the world's second largest exporter of raw sugar.[2]
- Sugar cane was brought on the first British voyage to establish an Australian colony in 1788, but the first successful sugar cane plantation was not established until 1862.[3]
- 95% of Australia's sugar production occurs in Queensland, the state bordering the Great Barrier Reef.[2]
Impacts
- Runoff from sugar cane fields can be problematic
- Pesticides like diuron, atrazine, hexazinone, and ametryn have been found to enter waters draining to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon from areas where sugar cane agriculture is one of the dominant land-use types. The concentration of many pesticides downstream from sugar cane production sites has also been found to exceed the maximum concentrations outlined by various water quality guidelines and standards.[4]
Mitigation Strategies
References
- ↑ About Australian crop industries. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/crops/about-crops
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sugar. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/crops/sugar
- ↑ The History of the Sugar Industry. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sugarmuseum.com.au/the-history-of-the-sugar-industry/
- ↑ Lewis, S. E., Brodie, J. E., Bainbridge, Z. T., Rohde, K. W., Davis, A. M., Masters, B. L., Maughan, M., et al. (2009). Herbicides: A new threat to the Great Barrier Reef. Environmental Pollution, 157(8-9), 2470–2484. doi:doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2009.03.006