543stances. This makes the development of simple management rules difficult and thus
favours the treatment of the saline area over remote interventions.
The off-site impacts of dryland salinity can be as large as (or larger than) the
impacts on the affected land. This takes the form of exported salt and soil (sedi-
ments) entering waterways and downstream water resources including dams.
Riparian vegetation and in-stream pools are often completely degraded after dry-
land salinity develops higher up in a catchment. This may justify the cost of inven-
tions, although draining saline groundwater requires a safe disposal site.
Even in areas undergoing a drying climate dryland salinity can remain an issue,
although its impact differs widely between countries. Areas that remain at risk need
to sustain a base level of monitoring to inform governments and landholders of the
level of risk. For affected areas further investments in saltland management are war-
ranted, especially given advances in technology that allows commercial plants to be
more salt tolerant.
In summary, dryland salinity can be a complex problem to properly diagnose as
it is often associated with other forms of soil degradation. It is often hard to appreci-
ate the hydrological processes that cause it in each case as they are in the sub-
surface. Finally it can be hard to develop the most cost-effective solution both for
the affected area and for downstream areas. Climate change is further altering catch-
ment water balances, sometimes for the better, although it can reduce the viability
of some management options because drier conditions may no longer favour the
establishment of deep-rooted perennial plants.
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