I started the week exploring the wetlands of Kakadu National Park in Northern Australia. I have ended the week exploring the wetlands of Central New South Wales (South Eastern Australia) with my friend Gill Hogendyk.
Gill, a trained vet, has always had a particular interest in bird watching. After moving to Warren (just north of Dubbo and south of the Macquarie Marshes) in 1990, Gill started taking a particular interest the birds of the Ramsar listed Macquarie Marshes.
Gill is increasingly concerned that the almost exclusive focus on environmental flows and water use by irrigators (her partner grows cotton) has distracted attention from the potential impacts of grazing on wetland environments including in the Macquarie Marshes.
This aerial photo taken earlier this year of the Marshes, shows the dramatic impact of grazing. The fence is the line of demarcation between an overgrazed private property and ungrazed nature reserve. The impact of grazing here is obvious and dramatic.
Over recent years there has been a focus on Australia’s intensive agricultural industries (eg. horticulture, cotton, sugar) and their environmental impacts with most of these industries undertaking environmental audits and developing codes of practice to address issues of community concern.
The grazing industry has had to contend with bans on tree clearing and been excluded from areas including the High Country, but there seems to have been limited interest in promoting best practice and addressing issues of overgrazing.
In the 1940s and 1950s there were restrictions on grazing and burning in the Macquarie Marshes including:
1. Reeds shall not be burned except with the written consent of the district surveyor,
2. Stock shall be excluded from all (reed) regrowth until 3 foot high, and
3. Rookeries (for bird nesting and breeding) will be completely enclosed with a sheep and cattle proof fence.
I understand that there are currently no such conditions on grazing in the Marshes.
It seems incredible that the flood-plain graziers of New South Wales are screaming so loudly for more water and attracting considerable media attention and yet the issue of overgrazing is being ignored by all.
Aerial photograph showing impact of grazing on the Macquarie Marshes.
The website mantained by the local Marsh management committee explains that The Macquarie Marshes is a large non terminal wetland in central west New South Wales and covers approximately 200,000 hectares, 88 percent of which is privately owned. The Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve makes up the remaining 12 percent and is managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
UPDATE 24TH OCTOBER 2005
I have received some offline emails assuming that the main problem for the marshes is low flow because of Cubbie Station. The Macquarie Marshes are NOT downstream of Cubbie and the Condamine Balonne system.
Rather as detailed here: The Macquarie River is formed by the joining of the Fish and Campbell rivers near Bathurst. The Turon, Cudgegong, Bell, Little and Talbragar rivers join the Macquarie River as it travels north-west. Near the township of Warren, the Macquarie becomes a complex system of effluent creeks, wetlands and floodplains connecting the Macquarie, Barwon and Bogan rivers. The Macquarie Marshes are the wetland and marsh country of this area, consisting of about 40,000 ha of core wetland with up to 220,000 ha inundated during major floods.
The climate of the lower Macquarie River catchment is semi-arid. Rainfall and altitude decrease from east to west, while temperature increases. The marshes are less than 200 metres above sea level and receive approximately 400 mm of rain per year, although flooding occurs in most years due to rainfall in the headwaters of the catchment and occasionally locally (for example, as happened in 1983 and 1995).
Two sections of the marshes are separated by an isthmus and lie on early Tertiary alluvium. The southern section consists of open water linked by anabranches of the river, and contains reed swamps and other emergent vegetation. The northern marshes consist of more prominent braided channels and more extensive reed swamp and river red gum woodland.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
What an envious predicament! 12 percent publicly-owned AND ALSO MANAGED by the state’s NP&WS. Perhaps you all should convert the 88% portion to public management and be done with your collective concerns.
Every water course in Ourstralia should be fenced to exclude stock.
It has been said that Ustralia rode to prosperity on the sheep’s back – I believe the truth is the sheep (plus cattle, doublegees, blackberries, etc) rode to prosperity on Astralia’s back.
How can the environmental controls be less than they were in the middle of last century.
Oztralians can’t believe they have the right to earn an income by destroying our country, our mother.
SHAME SHAME SHAME
While a picture may say a thousand words it may also create a thousand questions. In this case I think it is difficult to assess the sustainability of grazing Macquarie Marshes on such a subjective basis. It does highlight however, that there are considerable concerns for the viability of both grazing industries and the environments which sustain them.
As for turning the 88% of privately owner land to the public sector I would only point to the devastation caused by the Canberra bushfires in 2003 where 3 500 000 hectares of state mismanaged state forests were completely detroyed by exaserbated wild fires. I have about as much faith in accountable and efficient public sector mangement of the environment as I do for them running health, education and infrastructure development. If you live in Queensland- you will understand what I mean.
As for ‘fencing off all water courses in Australia’ – while we are at it why don’t we all pack up, get back on our boats and leave and let Australia return to supporting a population of less than 200 000 people as was the case before white settlment. Both practically and highly viable options. While I agree that riparian and water course protection is important- it needs to be assessed on cost-benefit and practical reality basis.
Macquarie Marshes is not an issue of private vs public ownership but the allocation of resources and the creation of incentives to sustainably manage these areas. To state that private ownership cannot equate to environmental sustainability illistrates a fundamental lack of understanding of primary production systems and long term economic viability.
The apparent over grazing of the marshes may well be caused by the increasing financial pressure being placed upon primary producers. Australian primary producuers operate in one of the most overregulated yet government under supported industries in the world. For instance the average government income support for primary producuers in the US equates to around 40% and in France it is 38%. Australian primary producers operate on 2-3%. Essentailly, these governments value the ‘add on’ benefit of primary production, not simply for exports and domestic food supply but also the social and environmental role these industries play.
Added to this, the free environmental services which primary producers provide incidental to their businesses including weed control, bush fire managment and remediation works goes unaccounted for in Australia. So government is happy to continue slapping more and moe burdensome regualtion upon primary production, forcing them futher and further into marginal profitability and then wonder why, in some cases, environmental degradation occurs.
Farmers are at the fronteir of the environment and society. They should not be shunned as environmnetal vandals but recognised as the best practical managers of the environment. Tying them up in red tape and public sector interference is not the best way to acheive environmental and economic sustainablity. However, by utilising public sector resources and expertise- as applied by practical and efficient land use managment techniques, we may see an improved level of productivity and environmental conservation.
Interesting link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200510/s1488215.htm
So how many more roo’s are present in the grazed area compared to pre-settlement days? My bet? Ten to twenty times more, none of whom are included in any plans for destocking with the onset of drought. They are the urban public’s animal herd and the urban public should be drastically reducing their numbers in line with carrying capacity – in exactly the same way farmers are expected to cull their herd.
Presenting a single photo of a self selected point in time tells us nothing about sustainability, Jen. Give us a dozen more over a complete climate and grazing cycle and we might get near the truth.
jennifer , after having a feed of kangaroo at a good regional pub last night i suggest we get rid of the cattle and stick with the roo steaks ,although it was no cheap feed.
Tom M ,i can understand where you are coming from but when we hear of Ron Greentree , one of the biggest wheat growers in Australia [and probably the world] getting into court trouble ,growing crops in a Ramsar registered wetland, RESPONSIBLE farmers and conservationists can only shake their heads in disbelief and disgust .how and why can this happen ?
[part2] jennifer ,Australia,s farm leaders and their organisations must be some of the most mean spirited people in the country when it comes to theirs and our environment . look at the LAND headlines last week …. they are not serious about long term conservation… it’s all the dollar.
In the course of technological and farming progress, it is both natural and inevitable that our wetlands will suffer. However, there is no reason for them to dissappear; but, if in the course of a low level of maintenance, certain native species are endangered, there is no reason for everybody to get in such a flap!
Heard it all before! I have been shooting feral pigs in the Macquarie Marshes for the past 20 years. The property I hunt on is bordered by the nature reserve.
I have witnessed first hand the steady decline of the Marshes and am convinced the single main fact is lack of water, for what ever reason (drought,over pumping of water,dams,etc). When water is plentiful and the Marshes are at there best, cattle grazing, feral pig numbers and irragation does not seem to impact at all on the appearence of the Marshes.
It has been sad to see such a decline in this environment, as I do feel an affinaty to the Marshes having spent thousands of hours stalking through the place. Areas of swamp couch grass are now rolly polly burr, and that is from lack of water. The framer has been unable to regularly run cattle in his Marsh blocks.
Jennifer I would be keen to hear what you think about my comments cheers Mick
I went for a tour through selected parts of the marsh yesterday including the normally off limits northern nature reserve to Bora creek.
The overwhelming devastation of the red gum forest in the reserve was unspeakable.
It would appear that 95% of the forest is dead and without water right now, more is expected to die.
This area of marsh has not been grazed on since 1989.
What then has killed all the trees?
I have been up to the marshes and recived a talk from Jill, and saw a presentation incldung the photo you showed here. I also spoke to many other locals who did not have such a vested interest in discounting the damage done by irrigators. I belive the photo was taken during a drought and is of only one farm.
Most of the wetland graziers I spoke to loved the marshes, were deeply involved in the fight to increase water allocations and had a vested interest in maintaing healthy wetlands. There is a graziers saying”fat ducks mean fat cattle”; for the past 100 years the graziers have been grazing the wetland sustainably and making a profit.
On the other hand, since huge volumes of water have been diverted to the cotton farmers, the wetlands have been slowly dieing. The worst part is that the cotton farmers have to use huge volumes of pesticide, and genetically modifies cotton, and they still cannot remain profitable against the subsidies US market. It is a travesty that we are letting our an internationally recognised wetland die so that the Hogendyke’s and cotton farmers can go broke more slowly.
Hi all
The Hogendyks are the only ones at this early time calling a SPADE A SPADE when questioning environmental terrorism in the macquarie marshes that has occurred over the last 160 years , many fauna species have become extinct especially mammals , paddy mellons ,kangaroo rat ETC via any current activity will do it ,(over grazing or ferral animal miss management). I dare say that the water rat so prevalent last century will be non existant there soon (the bulgeragah creek that is never dry and was once well vegetated in the marshes is their last stand).
Keep up the good work
My father and brothers and I have been hunting feral pigs in the marshes for close to 30 yrs….The two main farms we have hunted on both border the nature reserve. Over the last seven or so years we have seen a major decline in water levels etc…no doudt some of this because of the drought.But having seen this area in similar drought times(early 90’s) there was always water in the Macquarie River and surrounding wet lands…it was only the open plain areas that did not get any water…We have no doubt that the cotton industry has han a huge impact on the water in the Marsh…. water is not released on a regular basis as it used to, and too much water is allocated to the cotton industry.When the Marsh is full of water the cattle can not get to the areas deep in the marsh,and stay on the open plans.Something needs to be done to help the farmers on this beautiful part of our country!!
Knowledge vs Profit.
Exports vs Wildlife.
We are now approaching a no win situation:the sheeps back has broken.What too do?Do we keep going on and on?Do we vote in a polical party that offers us the big bandaid.Should’nt the federal government come up with a bilateral approach when it comes too the environment.This is not something that you vote on.Environment issues should be dealt with by independant scientists and wildlife carers, not right wing government dicks in boiler suits!They just don’t care, all they care about is balancing the countries economy verses the cost of the environment.This sort of nonsence must stop!We are already at a point of no return,lets at least slow the process;get rid of cotton farms, cut back on sugar farming, and don’t export any coal or beef.That should do it!You see it’s so easy.
Monday 25 February ABC1 TV storyon Mcquarie Marshes being decimated by illgeal clearing and daming! Do you have info you can share on this
vandalism? I am 80 years old retired photojournalist very angry after viewing ABC story and pictures inc Sattelite Pics. Kindest regards Kevin R
Monday 25 February ABC1 TV storyon Mcquarie Marshes being decimated by illgeal clearing and daming! Do you have info you can share on this
vandalism? I am 80 years old retired photojournalist very angry after viewing ABC story and pictures inc Sattelite Pics. Kindest regards Kevin R to Jennifer.