AUSTRALIA’S major river system is suffering from excessive water removal and
land clearing.
More than 80 per cent of the Murray-Darling’s annual average flow to the sea
is now diverted from the river system, mainly for irrigation. Extraction of
water and the addition of nutrients has made the river system susceptible to
algal blooms. Weirs and the introduction of carp have put pressure on native
fish species. In addition, land clearing is estimated to have removed 12 billion
trees from the river basin, leading to water salinity. At least science is now
fighting back in some areas.
An innovative company…
