2026 LGAQ CONFERENCE MOTIONS & COUNCILLOR ATTENDANCE (Referred from the General Committee Meeting dated 7 July 2026 - Item 7.7) · Attachment 4 - Recognising and Protecting Soil as Natural Critical Infrastructure

Page 2

  2




                            • prioritise renewed efforts to support landholders (farmers and
                              other) to gain access to objective science backed and property-
                              scale information that informs locally relevant nature-based soil
                              remediation and improvement measures that combat soil health
                              threats and waterway contamination.
                            • Advocate to compliment State soils data with a comprehensive
                              soil health map with harmonised soil datasets at a catchment
                              level as well as a more centralised and accessible program that
                              landholders can access for information, advice and support to
                              improve soil health without cost is required.
Background
                            Soil Science Australia estimates soils deliver A$930bn value to our
(required) 350-word limit
                            economy, making soil Australia’s most valuable natural asset. Yet
                            the latest national State of the Environment report confirms that
                            Australian soils are degraded and under increasing threat from
                            erosion, acidification, salinisation, codification, soil carbon loss,
                            contamination, degradation and urban and industrial expansion.
                            According to one study, Australia has the world’s third highest loss
                            of soil carbon over the last 250 years.
                            The global goals adopted in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for
                            Sustainable Development, are designed to end poverty, protect the
                            planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all. Healthy soils
                            underpin our collective ability to achieve the sustainable
                            development goals, as acknowledged by Australia’s 20-year
                            National Soil Strategy. But while the Strategy aims to recognise soil
                            as a vital asset, Queensland currently lacks a cohesive state-level
                            strategy to operationalise this, particularly for local governments.
                            While all states and territories have supported the National Soil
                            Action Plan (2023-2028), implementation remains heavily siloed in
                            agricultural grants and high-level mapping. To fully realise the
                            National Strategy’s goal of treating soil as a "key national asset,"
                            Queensland must operationalise this at the local and regional level.
                            Identifying soil as critical infrastructure would change the paradigm
                            from "protecting the environment" to "maintaining a municipal
                            asset" that actively provides measurable services like flood
                            attenuation for the stormwater network and structural stability for
                            roads. This supports local governments and farmers as the entities
                            that actually bear the financial brunt when this "invisible
                            infrastructure" fails.
                            The remediation of degraded soils should be a key priority for
                            critical infrastructure resilience. Opportunities exist to prioritise
                            local, nature-based solutions such as bioremediation and
                            phytoremediation, and to enhance soils through municipal organic
                            waste treatment such as composting and biochar. By investing in
                            local solutions, councils can build a resilient, circular economy that
                            improves soil health while improving resilience to global supply
                            chain disruptions and price volatility in petroleum-based fertilisers
                            and agricultural chemicals.


                                                                                               June 26
                                                                                        Wilson Crawley

Page 3

  3




Case study/ Example
                            In the UK, a white paper published by Sustainable Soils Alliance
(optional) 350-word limit
                            (“A New Vision for Water”) notes that an identification of “soil as
                            infrastructure frames it as actively part of the delivery of regulated
                            services such as water quality protection, flow management and
                            resilience.” The paper notes that viewing soil as critical
                            infrastructure aids in the development of regulation, and outcomes
                            for healthy catchments, productive agriculture and supports
                            legislation, regulation and enforcement.
                            However, the effectiveness of this approach relies on its translation
                            to the property scale, where landholders make day-to-day
                            management decisions. The reduction of state agency-based soil
                            extension officers over the past two decades has created a
                            disconnect between policy ambition and on-ground implementation,
                            leaving many landholders without access to trusted, independent
                            advice. This gap underscores the need for a centralised, accessible
                            extension model that supports landholders to understand soil as
                            infrastructure in practice.
                            For example, the Keeping it in Kin Kin program, delivered by Noosa
                            and District Landcare, in partnership with Healthy Land and Water
                            and with support from Noosa Council and other stakeholders, was
                            established to address significant soil erosion in the Kin Kin
                            catchment—identified as a major contributor of sediment and
                            nutrient loads impacting the Noosa River system. The program
                            provides targeted extension support to landholders through
                            property visits, workshops and field days, alongside financial and
                            technical assistance to implement on-ground works. These include
                            rotational grazing, riparian revegetation, stock exclusion from
                            waterways, and gully and hillslope stabilisation, all aimed at
                            improving soil structure, reducing erosion, and enhancing water
                            retention.
                            Since 2019, the program has engaged more than 400 participants
                            and delivered projects across dozens of properties, resulting in
                            kilometres of riparian restoration, tens of thousands of trees
                            planted, and measurable improvements in land condition and
                            waterway health. By combining science-based guidance with
                            practical, place-based support, the initiative demonstrates how
                            extension services act as the critical interface between catchment-
                            scale objectives and individual land management, enabling soil to
                            function effectively as infrastructure that underpins agricultural
                            productivity, water quality, and ecosystem resilience.




                                                                                               June 26
                                                                                        Wilson Crawley