Saving the Murray
As the world begins to come to grips with the realities of climate change, areas likely to be affected are being studied to test their ability to cope. One such area is the Murray Darling river system. A recently released CSIRO report says that due to climate change, 2,000 gigalitres will now need to be put back into the river by 2030 to ensure flows are kept at their current levels. However, the government’s commitment to water recovery is currently at only 500 gigalitres by 2009. Kirsten Veness spoke with Arlene Buchan from the Australian Conservation Foundation and member of the “Healthy Rivers Campaign” about ways to tackle the challenges facing the Murray as well as Dr Paul Sinclair, Director of the Healthy Rivers Campaign at Environment Victoria.