Taught by pain
“Till taught by pain,
Men really know not what good water’s worth.”
- Lord Byron. Don Juan (canto II, st. 84)
This is the Macquarie Marshes Southern Nature Reserve floodplain. It is listed under the Ramsar convention as a wetland of ’significant value for humanity as a whole’. Together with the Northern Reserve, the area represents arguably the most important breeding site for colonial nesting waterbirds (ibis, egrets etc.) in Australia. However, due to a lack of water, caused primarily by upstream regulation of flow for irrigation ‘needs’, the birds have not bred in the system for the last 7 years (see Kingsford and Thomas (2006) for more).
“Trees are dying. Information is more concealed.”
- Dr Octagon. Trees.
The lack of water is also killing large stands of River Red Gums, which require regular flooding to maintain their health. Red gums provide important habitat for waterbirds, which build their nests in their canopies. Unfortunately, some feel that it is also appropriate for important wetland habitats to be cleared. For example, a landower to the north, in the Gwydir River catchment, is currently being investigated for bulldozing 750 hectares of important bird habitat - which will never be rehabilitated to its former glory. I have seen the aerial footage of the clearing and it made me feel physically sick. In the fallout discussion, Ian Mott said,
“Farmers clear land because rabid scum like you don’t deserve a single tree.”
Here’s a shot of the central Northern Reserve, the only area with any real water remaining:
If the drought continues, if there’s no substantial rain this winter and into spring, people are really going to start feeling the pinch, in towns and on the land. It’s the stuff of Royal Commissions. I can see it now, ‘Royal Commission into Water Resource Mismanagement”. In other words, either the clouds or the people will speak out.
“The people are like water and the ruler a boat. Water can support a boat or overturn it.”
- Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard the Third (Clarence at I, iv)
June 3rd, 2007 at 7:08 am
this is a lovely post tom.
what can the rest of us do to help the marshes??
June 3rd, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Get a heavy roller out there and it would make a great airfield! Especially without any of those pesky birds to get in the way
June 4th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
You know that area that was cleared was also cleared pre 1990 by the government to control weeds species (lippia). There is more to the story than the media covers Tom.
June 4th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Just like the Marshes are receiving too much water timtim? Sounds like you’ve been talking to John.
Have a look at this video of the ABC Lateline story and we’ll see if you feel the same way!
The whole thing is an absolute disgrace. If the farmer had approval, that’s a terrible institutional failure. If he did have approval, he should’ve known better (being a man of the land and all). I mean, someone has to sit in a bulldozer for a long time to do that sort of damage - you’d think the penny would’ve dropped!
If it was “cleared by the government” pre-1990 (show me the evidence), that’s also bad, but haven’t we learnt anything in the last 17 years?
June 4th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
I think I can see what TimTim is hinting at, but I really only have more questions, Why was the land cleared? I mean clearly farmers need land right, for Grazing, planting etc. is this especially good farming land? From all I’ve read via this post and all the links I can’t determine why exactly it was cleared? I’m not as well educated on the matter plus I’ve seen how upset Tom is about the whole situation so it’s hard for me to form a non Bias opinion (or opinion at all really) however from all accounts I’m inclinded to agree with the chap called Richard who said it’s not such a good thing, seeing as he is pretty much the expert on the subject. In saying that Richard also goes on to say that in 10 years time the area ‘may’ recover which give me hope. Was 1990 a long time ago life cycle wise for these types of habitats? how established to they get in 17+ years?
June 5th, 2007 at 8:31 am
I am far from saying it is a good thing Tom what I am saying however is that this is a hot political issue. I have worked with a guy who has worked in the area a lot, lives there now and knows both the family and some of the local politics in the area. The neighbour of this family wanted to buy that particular piece of land and had a family friend with the EPA who used to visit regularly. By dobbing them in they send that family belly up and buy the land. Win win for them.
Also birds and people would see that area differently. Farmers don’t like weeds and try to get rid of them, birds just like vegetation to hide and nest in, it doesn’t really matter what that vegetation is classified as by the humans. Is it a failing of the farmer for perhaps not having the knowledge to see that in clearing the vegetation weeds species are more likely to propagate, or a failing of the governing bodies and communities to be so slow to adapt to more sustainable farming practices.
Yes it is a terrible thing to happen but I am loath to be so quick to take sides until stories from both parties are known.
June 5th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Well, I’ve taken sides. Their neighbours didn’t clear the land. If he’d looked after it properly, there wouldn’t be a problem.
July 9th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
The saga continues:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/permit-to-kill-weed-in-wetland-clearance/2007/06/29/1182624165367.html