What does Wild Rivers Legislation Do?

Wild Rivers legislation essentially governs the planning of any new developments in a Wild Rivers area. However, a Wild Rivers declaration does not lock out all development.

What it does do is provide a higher level of protection for nominated rivers by placing limits on new developments within the Wild River management areas. It will set rules which all new developments must comply with. It is important to note that any existing developments are not affected by Wild Rivers, and it does not interfere with day to day operations of business. Most importantly, it recognises any existing rights or developments that are in place prior to a declaration.

It is Cheaper to Protect than Rehabilitate

We are all aware of the challenges faced by the Murray Darling Basin landholders and communities. Our civic leaders are attempting to come up with a workable solution to rehabilitate this once amazingly productive system.

Wild Rivers legislation works on the premise that it is better to protect our catchments, than it is to rehabilitate at some point in the future. The Wild Rivers legislation wishes to preserve Queensland's rivers that have all, or nearly all of their natural values intact, for current and future generations. It is important that we, as Queenslanders protect against the further loss of values by considering ALL of the activities that might impact on the health of a river and its catchment.

Is not this protection by legislation a noble and worthwhile thing?

What is so Great About the Western Queensland Rivers

Why would the people of Queensland wish to have permanent river protection in the form of legislation over the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers and Cooper's Creek? Have you ever had the privilege of eating a lean, tasty organic steak from the Channel Country? If so, your taste buds may already know part of the answer.

The livestock graze naturally in this area and they feed off the pastures and herbage which grows as a result of rainfall and floodouts across the Channel system. As a result, there is an abundance of high quality, organic meat produced in a sustainable and green manner.

This semi arid and arid area is home to a myriad of animal and plant species, many of which have adpated superbly to the 'boom and bust' cycle. The floods leave an amazing legacy - including the spread of seeds and deposition of seed banks for the next rain event.

Western Queensland is an area which has a rich history and is important to traditional owners. Indigenous Australians have lived on these rivers for 35 000 years or more, and have been caring custodians of the land. In the last 150 years, non indigenous people have established communities and businesses in the area, and continue to show great stewardship towards the waterways and surrounding country side.

Finally, the area has immense recreational, aesthetic, cultural and environmental value to all, which make this area very special. Yes, it sure is a great part of Queensland.

Wild Rivers Legislation Passed Last Night

The Queensland Government passed the necessary Wild Rivers Legislation last night, which will path the way for the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers and Cooper's Creek to be declared Wild Rivers. The proposal to declare will happen sometime early 2011.

Feedback to the government from many groups, including the Australian Floodplain Association has seen special consideration given to theses unique catchments. Special floodplain management areas have been created. This area has a strong hydrological connection to the river system, and is an important part of the Channel Country.

Are there Threats to Western Rivers?

You may be thinking - why protect the Lake Eyre Basin (Queensland portion) catchments with Wild Rivers legislation? What would be a possible threat to the rivers in Western Queensland?

Any form of water diversion or large scale water take has serious consequences for any river system. This might be in the form of large scale irrigation, or mining projects. However, in Western Queensland, the rivers run on an ad hoc, episodic basis. Direct water extraction or floodplain water harvesting could also harm flows, as the extent and duration of flows is lessened. This would also reduce the interval between flows and the overall pattern of water hole connectivity.

Flows are irregular, and usually in response to major monsoonal influences. These rivers have some of the most variable flow rates of any rivers in the world. Yet amazingly, plant and animal species have adapted superbly to this irratic and unpredictable environment . Therefore, any take of water would threaten this already fragile, yet strangely resilient system.

Lesser threats include land clearing in the immediate vicinity of river areas. The introduction of non local fish species and noxious weeds and pests is also a concern.

However the biggest threat to the river systems is large scale water extraction in the form of mining and irrigation. We need to ensure water take of this nature does not occur.

There has been some downtime with the blog, due to technical hitches. However all is resolved, and we are back in action. I thank you for visiting our blog.

There has been a swirl of activity in recent weeks relating to the Queensland Governments Wild Rivers legislation. Minister Robertson is also planning to declare Cooper's Creek as a Wild River in the coming months. This iconic catchment will be the first in the Lake Eyre Basin to be protected under this legislation. So what does this all mean?

In the coming weeks, I will be blogging about the benefits that a Wild Rivers Declaration will bring to Western Queensland, and how the communities of this area have been working together to ensure that the government considers the unique nature of the rivers in Western Queensland.

The Lake Eyre Basin covers 1/7th of Australia, and is the largest internally draining basin in the world. What is an internally draining basin? Most rivers throughout the world run towards the coast, and eventually the water moves out to sea. Not so with the Lake Eyre Basin. The water all runs down into Lake Eyre, and pools there - and eventually evaporates. Whilst this water drains southward into Lake Eyre, it also leaves a magical legacy of floodplains, braids and channels that criss cross the country and provides habitat and food for many species of plants and animals.