Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-AKW-LVG-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

0.4 dS/m

Direction: Lower is desirable ↓

Form: MaximumOnly

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.

Evidence & Context

Therefore, an $EC_{1:5}$ value of > 0.4 dS/m is proposed as the upper detrimental threshold.

Metric Definition:

Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC) measured as EC1:5 soil-water suspension

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the upper detrimental threshold of soil electrical conductivity beyond which osmotic stress limits key forage species in the Arid Karstic Woodlands & Shrublands biome.

Justification:

Based on plant tolerance data standardized to ECe and converted to EC1:5 scale, indicating significant osmotic stress and loss of ecosystem resilience.

Sources (1)

Great Western Woodlands BASE Contextual, Soil Physico-Chemical Data 2013 Government

Great Western Woodlands BASE Contextual, Soil Physico-Chemical Data 2013

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Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Great Western Woodlands SuperSite | Climate Change Impacts - TERN Australia, accessed July 10, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

URBAN FOREST STRATEGY - Your Say South Perth, accessed July 13, 2025

View Source

Understanding soil tests for pastures | Soil | Farm management ..., accessed May 12, 2025

Contextual Support Government

Agriculture Victoria. (2025). Understanding soil tests for pastures. Farm Management.

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Karstic Woodlands & Shrublands
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 2
Effective From 7 Jun 2026

Notes

Exceeding this threshold signals a transition to a degraded state with reduced perennial forage species and increased bare ground. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AKW-LVG-SEC family.