Conservation SA, in partnership with River Lakes and Coorong Action Group and Lifeblood Alliance have launched a new video that takes a deep dive into Australia’s greatest river system - the Murray-Darling Basin.

MEDIA RELEASE 
4 November 2021

A river dies from the mouth up

Conservation SA, in partnership with River Lakes and Coorong Action Group and Lifeblood Alliance have launched a new video that takes a deep dive into Australia’s greatest river system - the Murray-Darling Basin.

The 10-minute video explores the declining health of the system and the ongoing struggle to return it to health and features stories from the fishers, farmers and Traditional Owners who rely on a healthy river. The next few years will be critical for the survival of the river and it is hoped this video will help people better understand this complex basin system. 

“We hear a lot of talk from upstream states about our Coorong and Murray Mouth region and we thought it was time the facts were put on the table,” said Conservation SA Chief Executive Craig Wilkins.

“The Murray Mouth is a very special part of our state, which came very close to collapse during the Millennium Drought. We never want to see that happen again.

“The Murray Mouth region is the canary in the coalmine for the entire Murray Darling Basin so protecting her is essential.

“From the Murray Mouth to the heart of the Darling, Conservation SA has always been committed to fighting for the health of our rivers” he said.

“To keep the system healthy the Basin Plan target was to provide enough flow to keep the Murray Mouth open 9 years out of 10. The unfortunate reality is that since 2015, 7.7 million cubic metres has been dredged, with dredging continuing 24 hours a day 7 days a week” said Janette Brooks from River Lakes and Coorong Action Group

“The video features Traditional Owners, Ecologists, Fishers and Farmers that all want to see a healthy Murray Darling into the future” she said.

“Coming from the Lower Darling Baaka region I’ve seen firsthand what happens to communities at the bottom of the river” said Healthy Rivers campaigner, Kate McBride.

“This video takes you on a journey, from the heartbreak of the millennium drought, through to today, but what’s clear is more needs to be done.

“There is a reason they say rivers die from the mouth up, everyone that cares about a healthy and productive basin need to pay attention to what happening, particularly at the Murray mouth” she said.

RELEASE ENDS

For further comment:

Kate McBride (Conservation SA Healthy Rivers Campaigner) 0458 528 333
Craig Wilkins (Conservation SA Chief Executive) 0417 879 439
Janette Brooks (River, Lakes and Coorong Action Group Secretary) 0417 824 973