(From left) Wendy McDonald, Jane White from MDWWG, Sam Campi from MDBA, John Toll, Jodie Hay and Maggie McDonald from MDWWG. Wendy, John and Jodie all have established wetlands on their farms.
Photo by
Sophie Baldwin
Northern Victoria and Riverina farmers met with Murray-Darling Basin Authority regional engagement officer Sam Campi last week to tour five local wetlands.
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The wetlands are all watered using an environmental allocation delivered on-farm by the Murray-Darling Working Wetland Group via the irrigation system.
Each of the wetlands play a significant role in supporting biodiversity and are an integral part of each of these working businesses which include dairy, livestock production and cropping.
Some of the wetlands have been established for more than a decade while others are more recent, but each and every one is home to a wide variety of different plant species, birds, frogs, insects and reptiles.
The Barham East wetland.
Photo by
Sophie Baldwin
Lauren Mathers from Bundarra Farm at Barham East said as custodians of the land, farmers have an obligation to protect environmentally significant sites like wetlands. She fenced-off 12ha last year.
“There are four other neighbouring farms who receive water from MDWWG, taking the total area of this wetland to around 34ha,” Ms Mathers said.
“Wetlands are great for biodiversity and considering the majority of the wetlands in the country are found on agricultural land we should be taking advantage of environmental water and use it appropriately on farms.”
Jodie Hay established two separate wetlands on her dairy farm in Cohuna within the last couple of years, and one of the sites has the highest bird diversity of all the wetlands in the MDWWG monitor.
She said the tour was a great day sharing stories and plans with other passionate landowners.
Mrs Hay is passionate about the dairy industry and passionate about the environment; she is a keen advocate for the benefits of irrigation as dual-purpose water.
“It was awesome to have the opportunity to showcase these on farm wetlands with Sam,” she said.
The Lower Thule wetland.
Photo by
Sophie Baldwin
Southern Riverina Irrigators chair Peter McDonald, along with his wife Wendy, have a working wetland on their property at Lower Thule.
He said the tour provided evidence beyond a doubt that irrigation and farming are enormously beneficial to the environment.
“Farmers should be acknowledged for the environmental work they do,” Mr McDonald said.
SRI has been working hard to get the MDBA to acknowledge the valuable role farmers play in not just producing food to feed the nation but also in supporting biodiversity and environmental outcomes.
The group is pushing for an environmental study to be carried out across a variety of working farms in northern Victoria and the Riverina.
The MDWWG are an important part of that success.
A spokesperson for the MDWWG said the group had added value to wetlands throughout the Murray-Darling Basin.
"The Murray-Darling Wetlands Working Group has been active in environmental watering for over 30 years - earning a reputation as a trusted, independent source of support, advice, and practical solutions.
Touring the wetlands.
“We see wetlands on private land as incredibly valuable — especially in a landscape that’s fragmented during times of water scarcity,” the spokesperson said.
The MDWWG partners with landholders to use existing infrastructure to deliver water to wetlands; no matter the scale they play a vital role in supporting habitat for wetland plants and animals.
“Our goal is to support local communities and act as a transparent link between landholders, First Nations groups, government, the broader community, and other key stakeholders.”
The MDWWG manages water on behalf of the Environmental Water Trust along with collaborating with state and Commonwealth water holders.
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