Queensland commits to fixing water quality in the Great Barrier Reef
Efforts to combat water pollution on the Great Barrier Reef aren't working, according to a new government report.
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Articles on Murray Darling
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Why you should never put a goldfish in a park pond … or down the toilet
Many pet fish end up in ponds, fountains and waterways. But before ditching your goldfish in the park, stop and think about the viruses you could also be releasing.
The Barkindji people are losing their ‘mother’, the drying Darling River
For the Barkindji people, the Darling River has been a symbol of Aboriginal survival since colonial times. Now, the once busy NSW town of Wilcannia is in danger of losing its water.
Damming northern Australia: we need to learn hard lessons from the south
It's full steam ahead for bringing vast increases in farming to northern Australia. In fact, probably too fast to adequately consider the environmental impacts.
As drought looms, the Murray-Darling is in much healthier shape – just don’t get complacent
As El Nino looms, the Murray-Darling is facing another drought. But after almost a decade of investment in water trading and other policies, its prospects are better this time around.
Giving water policy to the Nationals could trigger a logjam of bureaucracy
Water isn't straightforward. And by putting the Nationals in charge of policy for water assets like the Murray-Darling Basin, the government will trigger a complex round of bureaucratic musical chairs.
Science can drive the sustainability of our precious soils, water and oceans
There will be increasing demands placed on our soil and water in coming years, so we need greater research into how to preserve and maintain these precious resources.
Australia needs a plan to protect the Outback’s precious water
The Outback covers 70% of Australia, and its water is precious and scarce. Yet there is no joined-up plan to monitor and manage Outback water, despite the wealth of species and communities that depend on it.
Adelaide is facing a dry future – it needs to start planning now
Imagine a future where the yearly flow into one of the largest water reservoirs of a major Australian city could halve within 70 years. This is a scenario that Adelaide could face if the world continues…
Queensland risks running the well dry by gifting water to coal
On Wednesday, Queensland’s parliament passed water reform legislation that will make it easier to take and use water, particularly for large mining and agriculture projects. The state government also recently…
Why are there no true freshwater protected areas in Australia?
Freshwater ecosystems such as rivers, lakes and wetlands are precious. They contain several-times more vertebrate species per unit area than land and ocean environments, and they are more degraded. Protected…
The latest Murray-Darling plan could leave farmers high and dry
The federal government’s approach for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan has shifted again, and now favours water-saving infrastructure over purchasing water rights. But is it the right move? The new scheme…
Male-only gene trick could leave invasive fish species floundering
A genetic modification that creates male-only populations could give us a new weapon against invasive fish such as carp that plague our waterways. “Daughterless technology”, which works by removing females…
Murray River water sales: better for farmers and the environment
The Commonwealth Government’s decision to sell up to 10 billion litres of its water allocation in the Murray-Darling Basin back to farmers could prove to be a win-win for irrigators and the river. On the…
Threatened by the fact that the Murray River is endangered? You’re in good company
The Murray River was listed as critically endangered on August 5, the day before the Australian federal government went into caretaker mode before the election campaign. The Weekly Times claimed that this…
Murray-Darling sees drop in youth numbers
A study from the University of Canberra has found that young people aged 15-24 are leaving the Murray-Darling Basin at a…
Unknown wonders: Barmah-Millewa forest
Australia is famous for its natural beauty: the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Kakadu, the Kimberley. But what about the places almost no one goes? We asked ecologists, biologists and wildlife researchers…
Australia is not ready for the next big dry
Three years ago in March 2010, southeast Australia was still in the grip of “the big dry” or the “millennium drought” - billed as the worst drought since European settlement. Dams across the Murray-Darling…
Australian endangered species: Murray Cod
The Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii) is the largest native Australian freshwater fish species, and is probably the most iconic. The species’ credentials are impressive: it can live for more than 50 years…
Basin Plan is historic but let’s not lose the whole story
Reaching agreement on a Murray-Darling Basin Plan is undoubtedly a significant political accomplishment. The water resources of the Murray-Darling have been the basis of disagreement between states, industries…
Top contributors
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Senior lecturer in Ecology, Charles Sturt University
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Associate Professor of Environmental Economics and Policy, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, and Fellow of the Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University
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Professor of Applied Economics, La Trobe University
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Professor, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Australia
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Susan Lawler is a Friend of The Conversation.
Senior Lecturer, Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University
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Adjunct, Senior Research Fellow (Human Geography), University of South Australia
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Professor of Water Resources Management, University of Melbourne
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Senior Lecturer, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, University of Melbourne
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Research Fellow, Monash Sustainability Institute, Monash University
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Director, International Programs, UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Water Governance, Australian National University
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James Horne is a Friend of The Conversation.
Visiting Fellow in public policy/water, Australian National University
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Foundation Professor of Horticulture and Viticulture, University of Melbourne
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Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy, Australian National University
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Director, Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland
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Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland
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