Murray listing angers irrigators PrintIncrease Text SizeDecrease Text Size23 Aug, 2013 03:30 AMCOLIN BETTLES A LAST minute pre-election move by the federal government to list a section of the Murray River from the Darling to the sea, including the Lower Lakes, as being “critically endangered” has been slammed by irrigators. The move has also drawn the ire of Opposition water spokesman Barnaby Joyce who said the listing occurred just days before the government entered caretaker mode and showed “contempt” for Murray-Darling Basin communities by adding more environmental red tape, without proper consultation. The office of Federal Environment Minister Mark Butler this week confirmed the river section’s ecological community was listed as critically endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBCA), after considering the advice of the national Threatened Species Scientific Committee. A spokesperson said the ecological community extends across to the sea and includes the wetlands, floodplains and groundwater systems connected to the river. The spokesperson said the committee found the aquatic system had experienced wide-ranging loss of biodiversity and ecological function that was unlikely to be restored in the short-term. “The threats currently facing the ecological community include changes to flow and flooding regimes, river regulation and infrastructure; increasing salinity; acid sulphate soils; increasing numbers of weed and pest species; and climate change impacts.” The department said the listing was not expected to affect the Murray-Darling Basin Plan or its operations. But any new or substantially-intensified activities that could have a significant impact on the listed ecological community may need Australian Government approval. That includes; permanently clearing large areas of intact and high-quality native vegetation; new works that lead to permanent drainage or unsustainably large water diversions from the system; and potential major developments that adversely affect the ecological community. National Irrigators Council chief executive Tom Chesson said the lack of clear information and consultation on the listing showed there was “a fair bit of contempt for the people who live in the Basin and for my members who are also the environment”.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 02:01:51 +0000
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