Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin withered under historic drought
By TOM ARUP AND BEN CUBBY
May 12, 2010 JUST 25 per cent of flood plains in the Murray-Darling Basin were inundated with water during the devastating drought that gripped the nation during the past decade, detailed environment modelling by the CSIRO has found. The long-term effects of the lack of water means that the ecological characteristics of some wetlands and flood plains have been completely altered, damaging wildlife habitats and reducing the overall biodiversity of the basin. In a study released by CSIRO yesterday, modelling has shown between 2000 and 2009 just 1,517,753 hectares – or 25 per cent – of the 6,064,000 hectares of flood plains was inundated by water. That was a huge drop from the last recorded period 1983-96 when 4,545,785 hectares – or 76 per cent – were inundated. Ian Overton, senior research scientist at the CSIRO, said yesterday the lack of water in the river system last decade had begun to change the environmental characteristics of the basin’s wetlands, mainly along the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers. ”We have a degrading river system with serious threats to its health and condition and it is changing some of the types habitat found in the basin,” he said. Mr Overton said changing environmental conditions of wetlands and flood plains had reduced the variety of habitats for fish, water birds and other species in the basin. …
