Introduction
The Murray Darling Basin (MDB) is one of the largest water sources in Australia. It is divided into the northern Basin, which is the Darling system and the southern Basin, also known as the Murray system. It crosses over parts of four Australian states and provides lots of water for agricultural production. It contains many unique flora and fauna but there are many threats to its survival. It is because of the many reasons stated above that the MDB must be preserved and managed.
Where is the Murray Darling Basin?
The Murray Darling Basin is located in the South-East part of Australia. It covers 1,059,000 square kilometres which is approximately fourteen percentage of Australia’s land area. It covers parts of three of Australia’s
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Examples of flora which is endangered are the Coloured Spider Orchid, Monarto Mint Bush, the Resin Wattle and the Metallic Sun Orchid. (See Appendices 2, 3, 4, 5)
Fauna in the Murray Darling Basin
The Murray Darling Basin contains many endangered species of animals. This includes thirty-five species of birds, sixteen mammal breeds and over thirty-five species of fish. Twenty mammal breeds in the Basin have already become extinct.
The Importance of Fauna
Fauna is very important for many reasons. One of the reasons is that it is an indicator of a healthy landscape. It also keeps introduced species from over populating, maintains vegetation growth, provides food and recycling organic matter. Having a variety of native animals contributes to the quality of life. The Basin receives thousands of tourists each year and the fauna makes it pleasant to the locals.
The Importance of Managing Fauna
Nearly everything humans do affects the native animals. We share everything with them: air, food, landscapes, water, the places we live and the places we visit. Increased human population also affects animals and their habitats. If these habitats are not managed, native fauna risk extinction.
Threats to
Brimbank Park consists mainly of sedimentary rock, due to its close proximity to the Maribyrnong River. Along the banks, alluvial deposits and terrace sediments arise from the Quaternary Period (Geological map of Victoria, 1973). Although there is a distinct lack of igneous rock in area, the sediments from primary igneous rock upstream have weathered and been carried downstream onto the river banks. This process has been accelerated due to the water in the ecosystem.
Water is the most relied upon resource on earth and if it disappeared life could not and would not exist on this planet. So if one of our main sources of water in South Australia, The Murray Darling-Basin, becomes unusable then we would need to find the problem and do everything possible to stop it or counteract it. This report investigates on salinity in the Murray Darling-Basin, using the issue question “Is there enough being done to counteract the effects of salinity in the Murray?” as the focus. Salinity is a key significant environmental challenge which the Murray faces and if left unmanaged it could cause serious implications for water quality, plant growth, biodiversity, land productivity, infrastructure and could lead to a loss of a water source that’s critical to human needs. In this investigation five different aspects of this salinity issue are presented and these aspects include what Salinity is and how it has become an issue, what the effects are, how salinity affects the rest of Australia, what can be done and is anyone doing anything and finally what the visions are for the future of the Murray and its salinity levels.
Moreover, environmental features in the Mitta Mitta river is playing a crucial role in terms of its water. Environmental features are those installations which alter the environment and includes environmental asset. The environmental features in every river catchment is contrast, for example Mitta Mitta river features is different with Macquarie river features. In addition, environmental assets in the Mitta Mitta river include provide habitats for high priority threatened native fish such as Macquarie perch, Murray cod, golden perch and flat-headed galaxias. Other high priority species found along the Mitta Mitta system include spotted tree frogs and the alpine spiny crayfish, in the upper Snowy Creek catchment. Another environmental assets are Wetlands, National Park, Gorges. Dams include Hume and Dartmouth dams, operating storages, 14 weirs, 13 locks, barrages at the Lower Lakes, and water management structures at
Time and time again it has been seen that human interaction with his/her environment and it’s ecosystems has shown to be increasingly arrogant and self-serving. These endless accounts are proven by the amount of important biological diversity that is being lost to the surrounding environment due to these threats of human development and population growth. There are two forms of these losses of diversity by human hand: direct and indirect. Direct losses would be the destruction of an area needed for human requirements be it social or economical. Examples of these losses would be housing, agriculture, and others. Indirect losses would be those caused by the destruction of an area also needed for the same requirements but the area’s commodities which are valued, water, food, land in general, is needed elsewhere. These losses are few in number compared with those of direct losses yet they are of the greatest importance. They are important because they involve the removal of resources of an area in which other inhabitants are dependent upon. A great example of this regrettable indirect expansion is the loss of the rich habitat of the area known as Owens Valley.
Landscape fragmentation contributes to loss of migratory corridors, loss of connectivity and natural communities, which all lead to a loss of biodiversity for a region. Conservation of biodiversity must include all levels of diversity: genetic, species, community, and landscape (CNHP 1995). Each complex level is dependent upon and linked to the other levels. In addition, humans are linked to all levels of this hierarchy. A healthy natural and human environment go hand in hand (CNHP 1995). An important step in conservation planning, in order to guarantee both a healthy natural environment as well as a healthy human environment, is recognizing the most endangered elements.
The Dandenong ranges is located in the east of Melbourne. Sherbrooke forest (located in the Dandenong Ranges) is a tall, woodland forest (wet sclerophyll forest) with a height of 60-80m and a crown cover of 30%. Sites in the National park are the ‘Hardy Gully Nature trail’ (a cool rainforest with massive eucalypt trees), ‘Margret Lester walk’ (a walk suitable for wheelchair users), ‘Coles Ridge Track’ (a wet forest) and a Picnic Ground (where you can experience native bird feeding). Some biotic features include many species of bird and a wide range of flora and fauna, such as mountain ash and tree ferns, which dominate the forest. These are reasons why families would have an interest in the park. Also Indigenous Australians would have interests in the park as they were original owners of the land and a lot of the history of the Dandenongs was created because of them. Parks Victoria have a role in managing the park and providing places where the flora and fauna are protected.
Decreasing rainfall and exterior reservoir recharge since the mid-1970s in Western Australia have been related to fluctuations in atmospheric circulation that are constant with what would be predictable in an atmosphere subjective by rising greenhouse gas intensities. The Water Corporation of Western Australia is focusing the lessening surface water resource by setting out to distribute a ‘climate-independent’ reserve of water for domestic
Australia is home to the great barrier reef which is the world's largest coral reef system, and home to the kangaroo. Australia is the driest continent in the world. The outback is the part of Australia that few live in because it’s a vast desert (“Australia”). The great dividing range is a long chain of mountains that runs along the Pacific Coast of Australia (“Australia”). Australia is the driest inhabitable country in the world (“Australia”). The great barrier reef of Australia is the largest in the world (“Australia”). Australia is already a dry country and if the temperature rises anymore due to climate change than Australia could suffer from more severe forest fires and be doomed.
As can be seen from the map (Figure 5), the Maribyrnong Rivers begins when the two major tributaries- Deep Creek and Jackson’s creek merge together, and then the river go through the Brimbank Park, downstream flows through suburban Melbourne before joining the Yarra River estuary on its way out to Port Phillip Bay. Therefore, because of the hydrology, there is erosion can be found in the Site 2 area.
The rivers and creeks along the wet tropics in far North Queensland are followed by massive amounts of banana farms. These farms run across 1500 kilometres of the Queensland coastline. During heavy rainfall, which is plentiful in the area, sediment and nutrients run off into the rivers and eventually end up in the Great Barrier
Biodiversity is affected by five main pressures: habitat loss and degradation, climate change, excessive nutrient load and pollution, over-exploitation, and invasive alien species. As mentioned before, humans are not the only force that influences the environment. Natural events such as volcanic eruptions can potentially disrupt an ecosystem’s balance as well. However, at least three out of five of the principle pressures are caused by humans, although it is arguable that we do play a crucial role in speeding climate change and transporting invasive species. Ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss is almost like the result of the other issues.
Animal overpopulation in some areas is wrecking nature. In some areas of overpopulation, food is becoming limited and animals have started to eat endangered plants and other vegetation that they would normally not. Animals also cause a lot of headache along our nation's freeways and for many farmers. For example, deer overpopulation has been a growing problem in the last couple of years, some deer population solutions are to trap and relocate, but this is like trapping and relocating mice, no place wants more deer. And many deer die during that transfer process.
NEED AND PURPOSE FOR CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY Biodiversity conservation is about saving life on Earth in all its forms and keeping natural ecosystems functioning and healthy. Biodiversity is being depleted by the loss of habitat, fragmentation of habitat, over exploitation of resources, human sponsored ecosystems, climatic changes, pollution, invasive exotic species, diseases, shifting cultivation, poaching of wildlife etc. Since the human beings are enjoying all the benefits from biodiversity, they should take proper care for the preservation of biodiversity in all its forms and should prevent the degradation as well as the destruction of the habitats, thereby maintaining the biodiversity at its optimum level which will ultimately conserve the biodiversity for the future generation. The United Nations designated 2011-2020 as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. In biodiversity, each species, no matter how big or small, has an important role to play in ecosystems.
(2) All the economically important organisms in protected areas should be identified and conserved as protected areas are an extremely important part of programs to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems, mainly for sensitive habitats. (3) Species in critical habitats should be identified and safeguarded. (4) Priority should be given at its outmost level to preserve ecosystems which appear to be unique. (5) There should be sustainable utilisation of natural resources. (6) International trade in wild life should be prohibited and highly regulated. (7) The poaching and hunting of wildlife should be prevented as far as practicable. For example in Assam on horned rhinos are facing extinction on account of poachers trading them at an international level for monetary gains. (8) Care should be taken for the development and improvement of reserves and protected areas. (9) Efforts should be made to reduce the level of pollutants in the environment which causes an adverse
In the world today there are about five thousand endangered species. Around one specie dies out every year. Some animals become endangered because people are killing them for their horns, as in the case of the Black Rhino of Africa. Others become extinct because pesticides are put on the food we eat, causing the animals that eat the insects off the plant to become contaminated, which causes their predators to become contaminated, which often affects the shell of that organism?s egg. Here is a list of the endangered species, 91 endangered birds, 76 endangered mammals, 36 endangered reptiles, 21 endangered amphibians, 115 endangered fish, 70 endangered clams, 35 endangered snails, 44 endangered insects, 12 endangered arachnids, 21 endangered crustaceans, 594 endangered flowering plants.