This results in reduced crop yields or completely infertile land. This has both economic and environmental consequences. The effects of salinity go further than the cleared land that causes it. Regions of uncleared land near agricultural regions can suffer from rising water tables and salty water that runs off salt affected land can destroy natural water systems. The process of the water table rising leads to other associated environmental problems such as waterlogging, topsoil erosion and increased runoff.
Salinity drastically degrades plant life and diversity.
Increased salinity makes soil unsuitable for many native plant species. Increased salinity, through it's effect on the natural environment, has reduced populations of natural animal life. It is likely that as the waterways of the wheatbelt continue to degrade the number of waterbird species present will fall. Some common frog species such as spotted burrowing frog are growing scarcer. On top of this cost there are costs involved with increasing the productivity of unaffected land and attempting to solve the salinity problem.