Management of Sediment in New South Wales, Australia
ABSTRACT The amount of sediment in major New South Wales rivers and reservoirs is relatively low compared to world averages. This is a result of relatively low erosion rates, the sediment coarseness and numerous sediment sinks between the erodingparts of catchments and the rivers and reservoirs. However, in some locations several problems have required attention. These include: sediment blockage of roads and culverts; sedimentation of small reservoirs and recreational lakes; sedimentation on large alluvial fans; river channel damage casued by low sediment supply; and lack of effective government control over soil erosion and sedimentation in the past. Strategies to overcome these problems start with information collection to pinpoint major problems. This enables the preparation of total catchment management plans. These require proper land-use policies, legislation and education of the public for effective implementation.
Denudational history of the south‐central uplands of New South Wales
Summary K‐Ar age determinations on Tertiary basalts provide the basis of a new chronology for part of the south‐central uplands of N.S.W. A master planation surface which truncates a very diverse lithology was formed before Tertiary times, probably during the Triassic. There is evidence neither of the early Tertiary nor mid‐Tertiary planations which figured so prominently in many accounts of the N.S.W. uplands. By the beginning of Miocene times the Lachlan and Wollondilly Rivers had cut to within 80 metres of their present beds. Basalts in headwater valleys show that this part of the Great Divide was well‐established by Eocene times. The sequence of events in this region is strikingly similar to that proposed for the southern part of the Sydney Basin.
Indian Fig Cactus (Opuntia Ficus-Indica (L.) Miller) in the Americas: an Uncertain History
Abstract: 
 Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller is a globally important cactus species with a long history of human use. In addition to the importance of O. ficus-indica as a food for humans and livestock, it also has long served a role in the production of cochineal, a once important textile dye. This cactus also is intimately interwoven into the story of Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) (South American cactus moth), one of the best-known examples of biological weed control. In this regard, O. ficus-indica has been a target weed as well as an unintended host in C. cactorum invasion. Although the distribution and human-assisted movement of this cactus throughout much of the world is well documented, surprisingly little has been written about its history and movement within the Americas. Literature associated with Opuntia and their phytophagous pests in North and South America was examined in an attempt to determine the history of O. ficus-indica in the Americas. Available information suggests with some certainty that O. ficus-indica originated in present-day Mexico, but the timing of its introduction to South America is much less clear. Taxonomic difficulties associated with distinguishing among Opuntia species and the long pre-Columbian history of exchange between South American and Mesoamerican cultures are two primary complicating factors associated with dating the dispersal of this species to South America. Additionally, previous evidence in support of a pre-Columbian introduction to South America relied on questionable identification of insect-based textile dyes. These uncertainties are significant because clearer knowledge of the history of O. ficus-indica introduction to South America could provide a more complete biological and ecological context to efforts at managing this species in its native and introduced ranges, particularly with respect to the threat posed by C. cactorum in North American and Argentinean plantations.