NT's Daly River protected
WWF supporters have played a pivotal role in halting the Northern Territory Government's plans to allow 30 billion litres of water (around 30,000 Olympic-sized pools) to be pumped out of the majestic Daly River each year and the clearing of up to 110,000 hectares of neighbouring land.
Daly river wetland © WWF-Australia/Stuart BLANCH
The Daly River has the highest flow of any river in northern Australia during the dry season. 95 percent of the vegetation surrounding the Daly is uncleared, ensuring the water is clean and of extremely high quality.
Earlier this year, WWF wrote to supporters about the proposed plans for the Daly asking them to sign an online petition to the Northern Territory Government and contribute funds to stop the scheme going ahead.
Extracting large volumes of water from the river and clearing vast tracts of land nearby would have spelled disaster for the fragile ecosystems in this precious northern region.
Unlike other tropical rivers, the Daly flows 365-days-a-year and during the dry season can be the only source of water for animals and plants in the area.
Dr Stuart Blanch, Freshwater Manager for WWF, says the Daly is one of the great rivers of the North but is under threat.
"The Daly River is such a glorious sight - animals from all around the territory converge on the river for water during the harsh months of the dry season," Dr Blanch said.
"Land clearing would have caused the river to be blocked by sediment. Threatened species such as the freshwater sawfish (an amazing creature which is part shark, part stingray) and the pig nose turtle would have lost their habitat."
As a result of the actions of WWF, our supporters and conservation partners, the NT Government has changed its plans and will continue to protect the Daly with no new subdivisions for mixed farming, and continued the moratorium on land clearing until monitoring systems are in place in 2007. The Water Act will now be completely overhauled to meet world's best practice.
The 'Living Rivers' strategy was promised by the NT Government at the June election to help conserve the values of iconic Top End Rivers, such as the Daly.
WWF is now working with the NT Government to ensure the Daly is conserved through strategies such as the proposed Living Rivers strategy.
"We need to continue working with the Northern Territory Government to secure the Daly as a living river," Dr Blanch said. "We'd like to thank our supporters for their help in protecting this national icon for the time being."
