Queensland is lucky to retain some of the world’s healthiest natural river systems. They underpin regional economies and support unique and diverse wildlife. Free of dams, weirs, polluting irrigation schemes and industrial development, the natural and cultural values of these rivers remain largely intact.
Land clearing, feral animals such as pigs, and irrigation development are all major threats to river systems. Image: The Wilderness Society Collection.
Queensland’s free flowing rivers are located in a number of distinct geographic regions, including Cape York Peninsula, the Gulf Country, the Channel Country in Western Queensland, and some areas along the east coast of the State.
Rivers under threat
River systems such as these are increasingly rare. Many of the world’s major rivers are severely degraded or on the brink of collapse. These rivers are plagued with environmental problems caused by dams, irrigated agriculture, mass water diversions, destructive mines, dramatic loss of wildlife and fish, and encroaching invasive weeds and pests.
In Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin is our own stark example of river management gone terribly wrong. In 2007 the Federal Government spent $10 billion on restoring the Murray-Darling Basin. This is only the tip of the iceberg of the real cost of degradation, including the irreversible decline of species.
FIRED UP: Farmers protesting over the Murray-Darling Basin Plan burn copies of its guide in Griffith yesterday.
BURNING copies of the controversial Murray-Darling Basin Authority report is an "understandable" response from farmers to "very scary" water use cuts flagged by the plan, former Riverland MP Karlene Maywald says.
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