Win for Queensland Wild Rivers

Gulf wilderness river, the Staaten River , southeast Gulf of Carpentaria, Qld.

Wild Rivers protected
After a six year campaign The Wilderness Society in Queensland has secured the protection of the first six Wild Rivers nominated under the Wild Rivers Act, 2005.

What an achievement!
• The rivers include the Gregory River, Settlement Creek, Morning Inlet, the Staaten River (seen left) and the rivers and streams of Hinchinbrook and Fraser Islands.

On top of this, up to 100 new Wild River Indigenous Ranger positions will be created to support the ongoing management and protection of wild rivers throughout Queensland. 

This is an Australian first. So go on, pat yourself on the back because it has only been due to your active support that we have been able to achieve so much so far.

There is still much work to be done and over the coming year, and with your continued support The Wilderness Society is now campaigning to protect a further 13 wild river systems throughout Cape York Peninsula, one of the last great wild places on Earth.

How did we achieve this success?!

This achievement has only been possible due to the dedication of The Wilderness Society Queensland’s Wild Rivers Team in cooperation with other environment groups.

Larissa Cordner, left, came on board with The Wilderness Society at the tender age of 24, full of enthusiasm, optimism and conviction to ensure that we preserve Queensland’s treasured Wild Rivers.  In January 2000, Larissa made it her mission to become a voice for Queenslands Wild Rivers. 

Larissa identified the following attributes for a Wild River:

What is a Wild River?
A Wild River is a free flowing river. Rivers without dams and weirs, wild rivers, are the arteries which bring life to our vast continent.

Wild rivers: -

• Are rich in both natural and cultural heritage
  
• Have educational, aesthetic, recreational, economic, intrinsic and conservation values
• Are particularly important in the maintenance of a number of basic ecological functions, such as nutrient cycles, energy flows and the breakdown of toxins.
• Provide habitat for species of commercial, aesthetic and recreational value
• Provide fresh water for domestic supply and other purposes
• Mitigate floods by holding back water on floodplains and in wetlands
• Remove sediment, nutrients and other pollutants through riparian filtering.
• Have recreational, social, historic and aesthetic values
• Have the potential to contribute significantly to the regional and state economy

Why are we losing our Wild Rivers?

Culgoa River – Dead river.  The Culgoa runs south west into the Murray Darling Basin .  Due to over-extraction of resources and landclearing around this waterway, the river has been degraded to practically nothing .

For too long Australians have over-exploited and degraded our precious rivers and waterways. We are now paying the price for two centuries of neglect. 

Australians use more water per capita than any other developed nation besides the USA. The results of our mismanagement are clear to see, as demonstrated by the Murray Darling Basin and the rivers that feed it like the Culgoa River (seen here).

When Larissa first started studying the landscape and our waterways her initial discoveries were quite disheartening. It seemed that in Queensland we have been continuing to make the same mistakes as our southern counterparts.

Many of the once great rivers of the South-East, Coastal and Central Queensland have been degraded beyond recognition. The Burnett River Basin, together with the Condamine-Balonne, Brisbane and Fitzroy River Basins, represent the lowest level of ecological health of river basins in Queensland. As a result of past and present land use activities, including extensive land clearing and the development of an extensive series of dams and weirs for irrigated agriculture, the ecology of the Burnett River Basin (near Bundaberg) has been significantly degraded and simplified.

At the time of this assessment in June 2000 there were a total 31 Dams and Weirs on the Burnett Basin. Since then, the so called ‘Paradise Dam’ has been constructed on Burnett to deliver a final death blow to the ecological health of this once great river.

A change was needed in the way we manage our rivers and if anyone was up to the challenge it was us and our supporters. Together we do make a difference!

Six Years Later….

The first six wild rivers nominated are soon to be declared, keep watching www.wildrivers.org.au for updates!

Newsflash – Thursday 22nd February, 2007
Australia's first 'Wild Rivers' protected
Six of Queensland's pristine Wild Rivers are now formally protected under the Queensland Government's Wild Rivers Act, after Wild River declarations were tabled today in the Queensland Parliament.

Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland, north of Cairns, is one of the last great wild places on Earth. 13 entire wild rivers on Cape York are now proposed for protection. more»

Click here to read what The Wilderness Society’s Alec Marr had to say on this momentus occasion!

Thanks to the commitment of our members and supporters, wilderness protection in Australia is growing from strength to strength! Together we are reaching these outstanding goals.  There is still much work to be done to achieve our Vision for Far North Queensland!