Water planning fails internationally-recognised wetlands
03 Nov 2006
Calls by graziers in the Gwydir for the reversal of the international listing of Ramsar wetlands, reported in today's Australian newspaper, underline the urgent need to buy water for high conservation value freshwater assets due to the failure of water planning regimes.
"De-listing of a Ramsar site because of incompetent management of water is unprecedented," said Jamie Pittock, Director of WWF's Global Freshwater Program. "The proposal challenges Australia's international credibility as a good water manager and as a good environmental manager."
"WWF intends to raise this issue at the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention when it meets in February next year. We feel we must seek international action to encourage Australia to maintain these economically and ecologically important wetlands," Mr Pittock said.
In 1999, the Commonwealth and NSW State Government joined private land-holders and NGOs to voluntarily seek Ramsar recognition for sites in the Gwydir and Macquarie Marshes. Despite this, subsequent planning did not provide enough water for their maintenance and floodplain development continued unabated.
"The graziers who rely on the wetlands in the Gwydir for fodder are a prime example of the victims of the governments' failure to effectively manage for the needs of wetlands," said Averil Bones, WWF-Australia's Freshwater Policy Manager. "The buck-passing between Commonwealth and state ministers reported by the Australian is frustrating indeed."
"Ramsar's central tenet is sustainable use of wetlands. These areas provide both livelihood and important habitat, and have the potential to be leading examples of practical conservation at a local level. WWF calls on governments to support landholders by establishing and delivering appropriate hydrologic models for their sites before the ecological functions they provide are lost forever," said Bones.
Find out more
Jamie Pittock, Living Waters Program Director, WWF-International
Phone: 02 8202 1289
Averil Bones, Freshwater Policy Manager, WWF-Australia
Mobile: 0437 864 153
Jacqueline McArthur, Media Communications Manager, WWF-Australia
Phone: 02 9281 5515
Mobile: 0408 626 780
Email: jmcarthur@wwf.org.au
