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

  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