Acid Sulphate Soils (ASS) Priority Management Areas (Hot Spots) - North Coast

Acid Sulfate Soil (ASS) Priority Management Areas (or'hot spots') are areas where land management decisions in relation to ASS have contributed to, and can lead to further, severe soil and water acidification, poor water quality, reduction in agricultural productivity, loss of estuarine habitat, and/or degraded vegetation and wildlife. ASS Priority Areas have the highest priority for remedial action, and require urgent changes to land management to improve environmental quality. ;\r\n;\r\nThe criteria for Priority Areas include high ASS risk, low elevation, high drainage efficiency, and severe soil and/or water acidification impacts. ;\r\n;\r\nThe Priority Area basins account for 54 500 ha. Three such areas have been identified in the Tweed, one near Byron Bay, five in the Richmond, four in the Clarence, five in the Macleay, six in the Hastings - Camden Haven catchments, four in the Manning and one in the Shoalhaven.

酸性硫酸盐土壤（Acid Sulfate Soil，简称ASS）优先管理区（亦称‘热点区域’）是指因与ASS相关的土地管理决策，已引发且可能进一步加剧严重土壤与水体酸化、水质恶化、农业生产力下降、河口栖息地丧失，以及/或植被与野生动物退化的区域。此类优先管理区是修复行动的最高优先级对象，亟需通过调整土地管理方式以改善环境质量。

优先管理区的判定标准包括高ASS风险、低海拔、高排水效率，以及严重的土壤和/或水体酸化影响。

优先管理区流域总面积达54500公顷。其中，特威德（Tweed）流域内已划定3个此类区域（其中1个位于拜伦湾附近），里士满（Richmond）流域5个、克拉伦斯（Clarence）流域4个、麦克利（Macleay）流域5个、黑斯廷斯-卡姆登港（Hastings-Camden Haven）流域6个、曼宁（Manning）流域4个，肖尔黑文（Shoalhaven）流域1个。