FED: Vaile launches Murray Darling Basin wetland strategy

AAP General News (Australia)
02-02-1999
FED: Vaile launches Murray Darling Basin wetland strategy

CANBERRA, Feb 2 AAP - Agriculture Minister Mark Vaile marked World Wetlands Day today with
a major initiative for management of the Murray-Darling Basin, the vast area of Australia
facing problems of declining water quality, erosion and salination.

Mr Vaile, chairman of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council, said the Floodplain
Wetlands Management Strategy aimed to coordinate future use and remedial measures.

He told the launch at the Jerrabomberra Wetlands near Canberra that the strategy stemmed
from lengthy consultations between agencies and researchers from six government jurisdictions
plus community groups across the affected area.

"It will provide an excellent framework for developing policy at the regional level,
preparing projects, assessing funding applications and establishing monitoring and reporting
programs," he said.

The strategy spells out a series of objectives, including support for community management
initiatives and for sound scientific understanding of processes within the wetlands ecosystem.

Mr Vaile said wetlands could enhance water quality, conserve plant and animal species,
mitigate floods and sustain grazing after floods have receded.

"They also provide many recreational, educational and scientific opportunities and add
diversity to our landscapes," he said.

Federal Liberal MP Sharman Stone, parliamentary secretary to environment minister Robert
Hill, also announced that the Gwydir Wetlands in western NSW would become Australia's 50th
internationally protected wetlands area under the 1971 Ramsar Convention.

Mrs Stone said the first step was the signing of a memorandum of understanding at Moree,
NSW, today.

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) called on the government to also protect the
magnificent wetlands of Kakadu National Park.

ACF executive director Don Henry said the Kakadu wetlands were under direct and growing
threat from uranium mining, especially the proposed Jabiluka mine.

"Today, as the world acknowledges the beauty and importance of wetland habitats, we call on
both parties to reconsider and to act in accordance with the express wishes of the region's
traditional Aboriginal owners, the majority of the Australian people and the international
community. Jabiluka should not proceed," Mr Henry said in a statement.

AAP mb/mfh/it

KEYWORD: WETLANDS

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