Parts of Australia’s longest river have been listed as critically endangered.
The federal government has listed the Lower River Murray under national environmental law following a recommendation from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee.
The environmental listing will cover the region downstream from where the Murray meets the Darling River in NSW, and will include waterways, floodplains, wetlands and vegetation.
Environment Minister Murray Watt said the listing would allow for a coordinated response from all levels to government to protect the area.
“Despite the efforts of governments and communities, the Lower Murray remains under great stress and that we need to do more to protect it and restore it,” Senator Watt told reporters in South Australia on Thursday.
“A healthy Murray River is crucial for our environment, for agriculture, tourism, and communities – both here in South Australia and right across the nation.”
The committee’s recommendation for the endangered listing said the area had faced pressures from changes in water flow, invasive species and the loss of native vegetation.
Senator Watt said the listing would not affect farmers from carrying out regular tasks on properties in the region.
Major developments proposed for the Lower Murray would require a greater assessment for their impact on the environment.
“Impacts from upstream river management decisions taken last century, along with the devastating impacts of natural events like the millennium drought, have placed enormous pressure on ecological communities in this section of the southern basin,” Senator Watt said.
The region was listed as endangered under the Rudd government in 2013, but that was later repealed under prime minister Tony Abbott.
The Murray-Darling Conservation Alliance welcomed the decision to list the region as endangered.
“This listing is long overdue, and it is enormously significant with the public phase of the 10-year review into the basin plan about to kick off,” the alliance’s co-national director Craig Wilkins said.
“It recognises the River Murray is not just a water supply or economic resource, but a living ecosystem whose health underpins public health, regional livelihoods, cultural connection and community wellbeing.”
The federal government also unveiled a $20 million grants programs for communities in South Australia along the Murray.