The Coorong, at the end of the Murray in South Australia, is etched in the collective memories of Australians thanks to the heart-felt story of Storm Boy and his pelican. The Coorong is also the largest Ramsar-listed wetland in the Southern Hemisphere, and is one of 16 Ramsar sites in the Murray Darling Basin, as many as half of which are at risk of losing their status if the draft Basin Plan is implemented as is.This week, parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands are meeting in Romania, and we've sent them our report highlighting just how damaging only 2750GL of water will be to these precious ecosystems.
Australia has an international responsibility to protect these globally significant wetlands and the world deserves to know they are being put at great risk.
We are calling on the Basin Authority to model 4000 GL of increased environmental flows because, if maintained in a healthy state, these 16 Ramsar wetlands will provide $2.1 billion to the economy each year through water filtration, provision of crop-pollinating insects, flood mitigation and other services to industry and communities. Not to mention their essential role in providing habitats for endangered birds, frogs and fish.
Water Minister, Tony Burke, will soon be considering his final Plan to put before parliament - it needs to provide enough water to reach wetlands so they can fulfil these vital roles.
Read our media release or the full report or the article on ABC "Global Support urged on Murray Darling Wetlands"