The Marshes is particularly outstanding for its value as
one of the most important nesting sites for waterbirds in Australia
. A total of 77 waterbird species can be found in the Macquarie Marshes, including the threatened brolga, magpie goose, Australasian bittern and painted snipe.
What threats are the Macquarie Marshes facing?
- climate change.
- alteration of the natural flow regime through river regulation.
- dryland salinity in the catchment.
- fire management.
- pest management.
- channel erosion.
Why are the Macquarie Marshes protected?
The Macquarie Marshes are partly protected
under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and other conservation laws for protected areas
; about 70% of the Macquarie Marshes are used by pastoralists reliant of the flooding for grazing their cattle.
How much water is in the Macquarie River?
| Area Total 12,300 km2 | Total storage volume 1,559,620 ML | Total surface water use 406,840 ML/yr | Development Category over developed | Mean annual run-off 0 ML/yr |
|---|
Is NSW still in drought 2021?
Australia ends 2021 with no region officially in drought
after a year of wet weather.
What type of water is in swamps?
The water of a swamp may be
fresh water, brackish water, or seawater
. Freshwater swamps form along large rivers or lakes where they are critically dependent upon rainwater and seasonal flooding to maintain natural water level fluctuations. Saltwater swamps are found along tropical and subtropical coastlines.
How do you see Macquarie Marshes?
The Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve is surrounded by private land and has no public access. However, there are still opportunities to discover the value of this wetland ecosystem:
An observation platform overlooking private property is located along the Gibson's way near Terrigal Creek
.
Does Australia have wetlands?
There are 64 Ramsar listed wetlands (covering around 8.1 million hectares) and over 900 nationally important wetlands in Australia
. These wetlands include coastal estuaries, mudflats and saltmarshes, coral reefs, floodplain lakes and billabongs, swamps and marshes, and alpine bogs and peatlands.
Why are wetlands dying?
The world's remaining wetlands are under threat due to
water drainage, pollution, unsustainable use, invasive species, disrupted flows from dams and sediment dumping from deforestation and soil erosion upstream
. Wetlands are critical to human and planet life.
Why are wetlands under threat?
Pollution from factories, fertilisers, pesticides or from major spills
, all pose serious threats to wetlands. As well as being threatened by pollution, wetlands also have an important role in addressing it. They can act as natural filters, helping to remove pollutants from the water.
Why do humans destroy wetlands?
Human activities cause wetland degradation and loss by
changing water quality, quantity, and flow rates; increasing pollutant inputs; and changing species composition as a result of disturbance and the introduction of nonnative species
.
Is there gold in the Macquarie River?
The Macquarie River Alluvial Working is at an altitude of about 439m above sea level.
The Macquarie River Alluvial Working is a gold mine
.
Who was the Macquarie River named after?
It was
Evans who named the river in honour of his Lieutenant-Colonel Lachlan Macquarie
, who served from 1810 to 1821 as the last autocratic Governor of the Colony of New South Wales. The Wiradyuri people had, however, lived by and hunted for food along the river for many centuries.
Does the Macquarie River flood?
The Macquarie River has a history of flooding
. After major floods water can flow past the Macquarie Marshes and into the Barwon-Darling river system upstream of Brewarrina.
Is Australia getting wetter?
There has been a shift towards drier conditions across southwestern and southeastern Australia during April to October.
Northern Australia has been wetter across all seasons, but especially in the northwest during the tropical wet season
.
What makes Australia a dry country?
Australia is the second-driest continent in the world, with mean annual rainfall less than 600mm for more than 80 per cent of Australia. Australia is so dry because
we sit under the subtropical high-pressure belt, which encourages the air to push down, preventing the lift required for rain
.
Will 2022 be a drought year?
2022 is another drought year
, although we won't know exactly how dry for about another month. Precipitation and snowpack this year in California are below average.
Are marshes freshwater or saltwater?
Just like swamps
Marshes can be both freshwater and saltwater
. A marsh is found in low-lying areas near rivers and along seacoasts; marshes are mostly grasses, while swamps have mostly trees. The soil in a marsh is rich with minerals. Just like swamps, marshes have many diverse organisms.
Do swamps have standing water?
Swamps are characterized by saturated soils during the growing season and
standing water during certain times of the year
.
How do wetlands improve water quality?
Wetlands can improve water quality by
removing pollutants from surface waters
. Three pollutant removal processes provided by wetlands are particularly important: sediment trapping, nutrient removal and chemical detoxification.
Where is the Macquarie River?
The river
rises in the central highlands of New South Wales near the town of Oberon
and travels generally northwest past the towns of Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo, Narromine, and Warren to the Macquarie Marshes. The Macquarie Marshes then drain into the Darling River via the lower Barwon River.
