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Saline Soil Communities Home Page

Associated with the dryland communities of Central Otago are localised areas of saline soils. These occur in the very dry areas of the Earnscleugh and Pisa Flats, Manuherikia, Ida and Upper Taieri Valleys. They support rare plants specifically adapted to saline conditions in an inland setting. The most important plants present are the tiny Lepidium species, each of which may cover only a few square centimetres. These ecosystems and species are significant on a world scale, as many agricultural areas worldwide are suffering salinity problems, therefore it is important to preserve salt-tolerant biodiversity.

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[Note: Some of the most recent information on saline communities can be found in "Rogers, G., Hewitt, A. & Wilson, J.B. (1999) Ecosystem-based conservation strategy for Central Otago's saline patches. Landcare Research Contract Report LC9900/52". ]

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Saline soil communities incl.Puccinellia spp. Lepidium spp, Atriplex buchananii

Identification

Habitat

Other species present

Vegetation history

Management strategies

for information on actual sites where saline soil communities are found