The Murray Darling Basin is the lifeblood of inland Australia. It supports 16 internationally significant wetlands, 120 water bird species, more than 40 native fish species and over 95 threatened species of animals and plants. The Australian Government is consulting on proposals to list two ecological communities in the Basin – the Wetlands and inner floodplains of the Macquarie Marshes and the River Murray downstream of the Darling River and associated aquatic and floodplain systems – as threatened. Submissions on the proposals are due on 15 October 2024. 

What is the Government consulting on? 

Each year the Government invites nominations for species and ecological communities that should be protected (‘listed’) as threatened under national environment law. Those species and ecological communities that are prioritised for assessment are then considered by Threatened Species Scientific Committee. Comments are invited on species and ecological communities that are proposed to be listed. 

The Government is currently consulting on two proposals: 

  1. Wetlands and inner floodplains of the Macquarie Marshes are proposed to be listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered. The Macquarie Marshes is one of the largest remaining inland semi-permanent wetlands in south-eastern Australia and parts of the wetland are Ramsar listed. The Marshes provide critical breeding areas for internationally important wetlands birds and are home to over 200 bird species and up to 18 frog species. The area also supports one-third of all native fish species found in the Murray–Darling Basin. Key threats to the area include changed water flow regimes, land clearing and climate change. The Marshes meets 5 of the 6 criteria that would allow it to be listed as threatened. 
  2. River Murray downstream of the Darling River, and associated aquatic and floodplain systems are proposed to be listed as Critically Endangered. The ecological community is a one-of-a-kind ecosystem covering one of the most unique and biodiverse sections of the Murray-Darling Basin river system, including the area where the river meets the sea. The ecological community includes over 50 species of native fish and at least 18 species of microbats in the South Australian River Murray floodplain. Key threats include climate change, changes to water flow and water quality and land clearing. The ecological community meets 3 of the 6 criteria that would allow it to be listed as threatened. 

Listing of these ecological communities will provide important protections under our national environmental laws and ensure that any proposed significant impacts on the wildlife and vegetation in these areas must be assessed under national law.  

Have your say 

The consultation process provides an opportunity for the Government to hear that the community wants to see these areas better protected. It also provides an opportunity for you to share any important information you have on these areas. 

The Government has released draft a Conservation Advice for each ecological community. If approved, a Conservation Advice is an important source of information about what can be done to stop the decline, and support the recovery, of the ecological community. A Conservation Advice must also be considered when the Environment Minister is making a decision about whether to allow a significant impact on a protected ecological community. 

The proposed listing of each ecological community is being consulted on separately so you can choose to comment on one or both nominations. Submissions on both ecological communities close on 15 October 2024. 

To see all the materials available and to make a submission visit: 

  1. Wetlands and inner floodplains of the Macquarie Marshes 
  2. River Murray downstream of the Darling River, and associated aquatic and floodplain systems 

What does HSI Australia think? 

HSI Australia has fought hard for these ecological communities, first nominating them for federal listing as Critically Endangered in 2008. In 2013, the ecological communities were officially recognised as threatened but unfortunately, following a change of Government, the listings were ‘disallowed’ (i.e. overturned) in Parliament. That decision meant these ecological communities and the wildlife that depend on them were deprived of the additional protections that could have provided over the past decade.  

We strongly support both ecological communities being listed as Critically Endangered. Key points you could include in a submission for each of the ecological communities are provided below. 

Wetlands and inner floodplains of the Macquarie Marshes 

  • Research has shown considerable decline in the health of the Macquarie Marshes. Ask that the Macquarie Marshes be listed as Critically Endangered. 
  • Ask that the listed ecological community includes all areas that could be recovered, not just those that are currently in good condition. 
  • Ask that the primary conservation objective for the Macquarie Marshes includes the need to recognise cumulative impacts when considering the protection required for the Macquarie Marshes. 
  • Support the inclusion of the description of habitat critical to survival in the Conservation Advice but ask that the Conservation Advice is explicit about the need to ensure that these areas are fully protected from future impacts. 
  • Support the use of buffer zones to ensure the Macquarie Marshes are protected from external impacts. 
  • Ask that the Conservation Advice identifies the environmental water flows that are needed to protect and recover the Macquarie Marshes and sets clear targets and methods for delivering those flows. 
  • Ask that the description of the threat of climate change acknowledges the need to prevent further climate change (not just support adaptation). 
  • Share any new information you have that supports the Macquarie Marshes being listed as a Critically Endangered ecological community. 

Make a Submission

River Murray downstream of the Darling River, and associated aquatic and floodplain systems 

  • Support the ecological community being listed as Critically Endangered. 
  • Ask that the primary conservation objective for the ecological community includes the need to recognise cumulative impacts when considering the protection required. 
  • Support the inclusion of the description of habitat critical to survival in the Conservation Advice but ask that the Conservation Advice is explicit about the need to ensure that these areas are fully protected from future impacts. 
  • Support the use of buffer zones, including buffer zones for groundwater, to ensure the ecological community is protected from external impacts. 
  • Ask that the Conservation Advice sets clear targets for reducing salinity on the floodplains of the ecological community and identifies how these targets will be achieved. 
  • Ask that the description of the threat of climate change acknowledges the need to prevent further climate change (not just support adaptation). 
  • Ask that the Conservation Advice acknowledges that where dogs are listed as a threat to wildlife, this is referring to pet dogs that are not appropriately restrained – for example in beach-nesting bird breeding habitat – and doesn’t include dingoes, which have an important ecological role in the environment but are sometimes inaccurately referred to as ‘wild dogs’. 
  • Share any new information you have that supports the ecological community being listed as Critically Endangered. 

Make a Submission

Submissions close on 15 October 2024. 

 

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