Murray-Darling River Basin
Murray-Darling River Systems and Basin
Introduction
The Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) covers a total area of 1,061,469 square kilometres over five states of Australia; Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria and South Australia (Discover Murray River, n.d).
The Great Dividing Range is situated on the east side of the MDB, running from north to the south. Many of the rivers that run into the basin start at the Great Dividing Range as fast flowing streams. The majority of the basin however is situated on flat plains and is made up of slower running rivers, floodplains and wetlands which have a high ecological importance (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2023).
The MDB is divided into two parts, the northern basin and the southern basin (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2023).
Three of the longest rivers in Australia flow through the basin, these include:
- the Murray River,
- the Darling River, and
- the Murrumbidgee River
Murray-Darling Basin Catchments
Catchments are the areas surrounding a mountain or hill, where the water naturally accumulates. There are 22 catchments all together in the MDB and the boundaries are separated by rivers and where by where the rain falls (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2023). Each of these catchments vary considerably in relation to their size, annual rainfall, flora, fauna and climate (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2023).
Flora and Fauna
The MDB supports a large amount of our native fauna species, including:
- 367 bird species (35 endangered)
- 146 reptile species (6 endangered),
- 85 mammal species (16 endangered),
- 31 native frogs, and
- over 50 different native fish (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2023)
There are over 30,000 wetlands in the MDB, some of which are protected due to their importance to migratory birds (Discover Murray River, n.d).
Agriculture and Farming
(Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2023)
The MDB has been named as 'Australia's agricultural heartland' as it is one of the most important agricultural regions in Australia (Discover Murray River, n.d).
The MDB produces over $22 billion of food and fibre yearly (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2023). Approximately 3,780 GL of water is diverted from rivers in the MDB for irrigation (Discover Murray River, n.d).
The health of the MDB has been significantly impacted by human water usage and droughts. In order to manage the allocation or water across the five states and protect the ecosystems supported by the MDB, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan was developed (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2023).
Conclusion
The MDB is a vital part of our environment and supports a large variety of our native flora and fauna. We rely on the MDB for our livelihood and well-being, it an area of immense economic and social importance. As our population grows, the pressure on this system increases and the need to protect it is of utmost importance.
References
Discover Murray River. (n.d). The Murray: A River Worth Saving: The Murray Darling Basin. http://www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-murray/the-murray-a-river-worth-saving/
Murray-Darling Basin Authority. (2023, August 13). Animals. https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin/plants-and-wildlife/animals
Murray-Darling Basin Authority. (2023, August 13). Basin location. https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin/basin-location
Murray-Darling Basin Authority. (2023, August 13). The Basin. https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin