13 September
2006 - The Australian Minister for the Environment
and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell, has drawn
attention to the unprecedented investment by the
Howard Government to protect important wetlands.
Senator Campbell said the Australian
Government was committed to protecting Australia’s
most important wetlands vital to our river systems,
nesting water birds and the agriculture that depends
on them.
"In addition to the historic
investment in landscape and waterway restoration
from the $3 billion Natural Heritage Trust and
the $1.4 billion National Action Plan for Salinity
and Water Quality, this Government has provided
$13.4 million from the $1.6 billion Water Smart
Australia scheme for a lifeline project for unique
wetlands in New South Wales," Senator Campbell
said.
The NSW Wetland Recovery Plan
funding will restore health to the ecologically
stressed Macquarie Marshes and Gwydir Wetlands,
located downstream of Moree in Northern NSW.
"This project demonstrates
the Australian Government’s high priority and
commitment to protecting these internationally
significant wetlands that are amongst the most
important breeding grounds for water birds in
Australia and the surrounding grazing and farming,"
he said.
The project include works to
improve the knowledge of wetland and environmental
water management, improve water flows and deal
with noxious wetland weeds that choke the wetlands
and invade adjacent pastures, significantly affecting
productivity.
Water savings will also be made
through more efficient infrastructure such as
piping open channels and market mechanisms to
recover water.
"I have also approved a
$634,000 investment from the Natural Heritage
Trust for a project that will guide industry,
managers, landholders and the community to maximise
environmental flow benefits for the important
Gwydir floodplains and wetlands," Senator
Campbell said.
"This knowledge gained
from this project can be transferred to other
significant wetlands, such as the Macquarie Marshes.
"Through these and other
landscape scale projects the Howard Government
continues its historic investment in the biggest
environmental rescue in the history of Federation,"
he said.
Rob Broadfield
