Within Australia, dryland salinity has been recognised to be an important issue which presents unique challenges to land managers, policy makers and regulators. It currently affects 326 000 ha of land in South Australia (in addition to 84 000 ha of primary salinity), and this is predicted to increase by 60% to 520 000 ha in 50 years under current land use and groundwater trends if no intervention is undertaken. An interim assessment has found that the cost to agricultural production of dryland salinity in SA will have reached $42 million a year by 2050, which represents just under 1% of the forecast gross margin from primary production Statewide on all agricultural land . Increasing stream salinisation is occurring in both the Tod River (Eyre Peninsula) and Middle River (Kangaroo Island), although in these situations, alternative domestic supplies are available. Elsewhere within SA, and particularly in the Mount Lofty Ranges, stream salinisation trends are not evident from data available from catchments that have been monitored. Perhaps the most widely felt impacts of watertable rise will be felt by the consumers of River Murray water. This resource is of vital importance to SA. Groundwater modelling has suggested that vegetation clearance in the Mallee will result in an increase in salinity of 118 EC by 2050, with an additional cost to consumers of $17.4 million/year. Biodiversity mapping has identified several areas at risk from rising watertables. These include extensive tea-tree shrublands and native grasslands in the Coorong District, and seasonal wetlands and watercourses in the Upper South-East. A whole-of-government approach to the management of the growing salinity problem in SA has been adopted with the formation of the State Salinity Committee. This body has overseen the formulation of the State Salinity Statement, and drafts of the South Australian River Murray Salinity Strategy and the State Dryland Salinity Strategy, which have identified various management options to meet the challenges of dryland salinity.