"I wouldn't say any of them are an enormous problem compared to our natural vegetation which is quickly covering all our meadows and previously agricultural areas" Problem? In Australia I support the purchase of barren land to convert back to natural bush and we are trying to convince large land owners to convert parcels of land back to natural vegetation in order to provide corriders to give our flora and fauna a fairer chance of survival. I do not know the how broad-acre farming, over fertilisation and the over use of your water supply has affected once fertile and prestine land masses in your country. In Australia the degradation of some of our land, waterways and natural wonders has been considerable and we are now required to expend significant resources and rethink many of our practices as the realisation comes that our earth is not an infinate resource that we can continue to exploit without consideration of the future. I am happy to say that this realisation is here and I hear in our media that many of our large land owners and primary producers are commited to "leaving the land better than they found it" and with more evironmentally friendly practices, that it is being achieved. We still have a fair way to go however these changes are being made right down to individual households. With modern horticultural technologies and better long term management better results are be achieved not only with the environment but with higher yields from less land mass under agriculture. There is a greater shift to "Organically Certified Products" and here this involves more stringent controls, it is still more expensive however long term it wouldn't surprise me if it becomes the cheaper option. I would like your problem here as driving through a salt laden and excessively over used and abused piece of our country that could not possibly support any life what so ever would be enough to jump for joy because if would then give it a chance to recover a lot sooner. All the best and may all your problems be little ones Ron _________________________________________________________________ Use Windows Live Messenger from your Hotmail inbox Web IM has arrived! http://windowslive.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx/…