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Meshed with the bio-physical and economic dimensions of rural land-use is a socialdimension. Understanding the social and economic dimension of rural communities iscritical if agencies are to develop effective policies and programs to improve naturalresource outcomes. In this paper, we draw on research of the Boorowa community,located in the south-west slopes of New South Wales, to help understand how socialchanges in rural communities are impacting natural resource management in theBoorowa district. This included: *Identifying the catalysts for changing land-use in the Boorowa catchment, *Presenting an effective and efficient methodology for assessing the social andeconomic impacts of changes in land use at the catchment scale, *Identifying feasible and socially-acceptable pathways to achieve change in landuseto manage dryland salinity.The research process involved assessing data availability for construction of socialand landholder profiles, conducting workshops with different community groups toexplore their long-term goals and concerns about salinity, and developing indicatorsof social processes and progress that Catchment Management Authorities might beable to use in their decision-making processes.
