Environment Victoria is today launching Our Rivers, Our Lifeblood, a new web-based atlas and campaign which summarises the issues facing Victoria’s rivers catchment by catchment.
Environment Victoria’s Healthy Rivers Campaigner Juliet Le Feuvre said today:
“Governments hold a lot of information about our rivers and water resources, but it’s buried in a multitude of hard-to-find reports. For the first time there is now a user-friendly online atlas which tells the story of the state of Victoria’s 30 river catchments. The atlas charts the health, major features and water uses, and the natural values of each river.
“Victoria’s rivers are faring poorly and this online atlas outlines an election year agenda for what needs to be done to restore our rivers.
“Our Rivers Our Lifeblood outlines the conservation priorities and solutions for each river system and draws together the priorities for action across the state.
“Key state-wide priorities for improving river health include:
• Fairer sharing of water – rivers need a larger share of their own water
• Restoring landscape connectivity –river corridors are essential to reconnecting isolated habitats in a fragmented landscape
• Protecting water quality – by restoring the riparian zone/ riverside vegetation, getting livestock out of rivers and protecting wetlands
• Preserving water quantity – by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing a safe climate.
“The Our Rivers, Our Lifeblood atlas is a very exciting new resource,” concluded Ms Le Feuvre. “It’s a great tool to inform and inspire. Our rivers are facing increasing problems of over-extraction of water and a drying climate, and we need people power to help turn that around.”
For comment:
Juliet Le Feuvre, 0428 770 019