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The Murray-Darling Basin

The Murray-Darling Basin: A Life or Death Situation The Murray-Darling is the lifeblood of our nation. Its rivers are veins that pump life through dry country and its wetlands are organs that purify water and sustain wildlife. The total value of agricultural produce in the Murray-Darling Basin in 2009-2010 was $14.4 billion. $4.4 billion of this was from irrigated agriculture and $10.2 billion was from dry The Basin's 30,000 wetlands support communities & industries Tourism across the Basin is worth $3.4 billion' annually land agriculture.? 16 of the Basin's internationally significant wetlands produce annual economic benefits of $2.1 billion³ by providing services such as: wwhv Filtering salt and pollution from freshwater (avoiding the need for water filtration plants) Flood control by Providing habitat to species that pollinate crops Storing water regulating river flows Our nation's lifeblood is seriously ill and we are suffering the side effects For decades, we've been forcing the Murray-Darling to live off less than it needs. By taking too much water for irrigation, we've dried wetlands, decimated native fish and waterbird populations and created a toxic cocktail of salt and acid at the river mouth. Native fish Long-term studies show populations have declined by 90% of pre-European levels.5 that in parts of the Basin 80%" of the waterbirds have disappeared. The Murray Mouth closed in 1981 for the first time in recorded history® and would have closed again in 2002 had it not been kept open artificially by dredging.7 In the last drought... Water at the Murray Mouth in the Coorong At the Murray Mouth, salt water tube worms attached to the shells of freshwater turtles, became weighing down the turtles so they suffocated and drowned 5x more salty than the sea8 2002 – 2010: Poor quality water and drought $36 million conditions have spent on sand dredging to manage lack of water flow at reduced dairy operations around the Murray Mouth by 70% since 2002.9 the mouth of the Murray River10 The Basin Plan offers Rivers die from the bottom up. The Murray was on its deathbed in South Australia during the last drought. our lifeblood a band-aid when it desperately Unless the Basin Plan is improved, the damage will spread upstream, threatening wetlands from Queensland to South Australia. needs intensive care Wildlife and vegetation most at risk in key wetlands under the current Basin Plan Wildlife/vegetation Roma Waterbirds OBrisbane Fish Marshes Lower Macintyre Grasslands Forest and woodlands Lower Balonne Risk Level Narran Lakes Gwydir Wetlands High Moderate Talawalka Anabranch Low Darling River System Murray River System Macquarie Marshes Lower Darling Booligal Wetlands Lachlan Swamp Great Cumbung Swamp Lowbidgee Floodplain • Sydney Griffith Hattah Lakés Riverland- Chowilla Lake Mid-Murrumbidgee Wetlands Adelaide o Albacutya Edward-Wakool Barmah- Millewa This map summarises results of Murray-Darling Basin Authority modelling. For full analysis, visit www.acfonline.org.au/Murray Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Gunbower- Koondrook- Pericoota Lower Goulburn Lake Hindmarsh Floodplain It's time for our leaders to give our lifeblood the care it so desperately needs The Murray-Darling Basin: A Timeline 1999-2008 Drought cripples basin 2009 Benefits of water buybacks and delivery start to show 2010 – 2011 2010: October La Nina creates cool Guide to draft Basin Plan released wet weather across Australia; scientists warn that the 2010: November overuse of water from the Murray has not been solved by recent flood and All South Australian federal leaders sign a pledge to "support a Basin Plan which ends the overuse of water and returns the Murray to health" rains 2011: November Draft Basin Plan released 2012: April 7000+ people provide submissions on the Basin Plan saying it needs to restore river health 2012: 2012: September Bureau of Basin Plan likely to be put to a vote before Federal Parliament. Meteorology predicts El Nino conditions (dry, hot weather) will return across Australia11 2030 CSIRO predicts water availability may decline by around 11% across the entire Murray-Darling Basin 12 Help us revive our nation's lifeblood so it can survive the next drought! The Basin Plan can be improved before it reaches Federal Parliament. Call your Federal MP: Find their number at AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION www.acfonline.org.au/Murray and use this infographic as a guide to explain why we need a Basin Plan that can return our nation's lifeblood to health. 1. http://www.2.mdbc.gov.au/about/tour_the_basin/riverine.html 7.http://www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au/rīvers-reservoirs-aquifers/lower-lakes-coorong/murray-mouth- sand-pumping-project 2. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Products/4610.0.55.008-2000-01+to+2009-10-Main+ Features-Gross+Value+of+Irigated+Agricultural+Production+%28GVIAP%29?0penDocument 8. http://www.sciencealert.com.au/features/20080310-18248.html 3. http://www.acfonline.org.au/uploads/res/Basin_Plan_economic_analysis_20-10-10.pdf 9. http://www.futurefarmcrc.com.au/ 4. http://www.nwc.gov.au/_data/assets/pdf_file/0012/21720/Waterlines-74-National-waterbird -assessment.pdf 10. MDBA, Annual Report 2007-08; 2008-09; 2009-10; MDBC Annual Report 2004-05; 2005-06; 2006-07. 11. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/ 5. http://www.mdba.gov.au/programs/nativefishstrategy 6. http://www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au/ 12. http://www.clw.csiro.au/publications/waterforahealthycountry/mdbsy/pdf/WaterAvailabilityln The DB-ExecSummary.pdf

The Murray-Darling Basin

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The Murray-Darling river basin is the lifeblood of Australia, bring its life giving waters to parched lands. But human interference and greed is seriously affecting the environment surrounding the area.

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