Media
release - 8 October 2008 - The discovery
of hundreds of new marine species and previously
unknown undersea mountains south of Tasmania
highlighted the extraordinary environmental
value of the newly declared Commonwealth
Marine Reserve Network, Environment Minister
Peter Garrett said today.
Releasing the findings
of two recent CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship
marine research voyages to the Tasman Fracture
and Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserves, Mr
Garrett said the discoveries were a surprising
insight into the biodiversity of the largely
unexplored Southern Ocean.
"Scientists from
around the world have analysed the fascinating
findings of these voyages, which included
an incredible 274 species new to science
and a further 80 seamounts, or undersea
mountains, which are some of the most biologically
important habitats in our oceans.
"The richness of
molluscs found in these voyages has been
described by marine scientists as astounding
and requiring a complete rewrite of textbooks
for this type of fauna.
"These discoveries,
in just two of the 14 reserves which form
the South-east Commonwealth Marine Regional
Network, show just how important that network
and indeed the entire Commonwealth marine
jurisdiction is in conserving Australia's
remarkable deep ocean biodiversity,'' Mr
Garrett said.
Reserves in the South-east
Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network, declared
in July 2007, cover a total of 226,000 square
kilometres of ocean off Tasmania, Victoria,
southern New South Wales and eastern South
Australia. Similar reserve networks will
be developed in Australia's other four marine
regions over the next two years.
Data from this marine
research project came from two surveys undertaken
on the Marine National Facility Vessel -
the RV Southern Surveyor - using multibeam
sonar and underwater video transects, as
well as seafloor sampling in November 2006
and April 2007.
In total, 274 species new to science were
brought to the surface and analysed, along
with 86 species previously unknown in Australian
waters and 242 previously studied species.
The sophisticated sonar equipment onboard
also discovered 80 previously unknown seamounts,
raising the total in the region to at least
144, which is easily the highest concentration
in Australian waters. Scientists also discovered
145 new undersea canyons, raising the regional
total to at least 276.
A management plan for
the South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Network is in preparation and is expected
to be released for public comment later
in the year. The Australian Government Department
of the Environment, Water, Heritage and
the Arts contributed more than $900,000
to the CSIRO's $1.49 million project.
+ More
$6 million to help manage
Murray-Darling Basin water resources
Media release - 9 October
2008 - $6 million to help manage Murray-Darling
Basin water resources - The Rudd Government
is providing $6 million to the eWater Cooperative
Research Centre (CRC) for a new hydrological
modelling tool to help manage the surface
water and groundwater of the Murray-Darling
Basin.
The project will accelerate
development of and trial a new computer
model, known as RiverManager, to help make
water allocation and use over coming decades
more sustainable.
Minister for Climate
Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, announced
the funding on the banks of the Murrumbidgee
River at Casuarina Sands in the Australian
Capital Territory today.
"The Rudd Government's
$12.9 billion Water for the Future plan
has four priorities: tackling climate change,
using water wisely, securing our water supplies
and supporting healthy rivers," Senator
Wong said.
"This new tool
will help us deliver on these priorities
by making better-informed decisions about
how to manage the Murray-Darling Basin as
a single entity in the national interest.
"RiverManager will
clearly be an important tool to assist the
Murray-Darling Basin Authority to implement
the Basin Plan, including a new limit on
water use. It will help the Authority evaluate
the costs, benefits and trade-offs required
to put the Basin Plan into action."
It provides the opportunity
for water planners, managers and operators
to manage the Basin's surface water and
groundwater as a single, integrated system.
Senator Wong said RiverManager
will help the new Murray-Darling Basin Authority
evaluate the benefits and trade-offs of
different water management options in the
Basin.
"Right across the
Basin, there will be real and tangible benefits
from using the same 'platform' and databases.
"The funding announced
today is enabling the CRC to fast-track
this important work."
RiverManager will be
able to do things that current models can't:
for example, modelling groundwater and surface
water interactions and the complex processes
that existing models can only describe as
'unaccounted water losses'.
The Government's funding
of the RiverManager tool complements the
current CSIRO Sustainable Yields project
in the Basin, and the $450 million Improving
Water Information program administered by
the Bureau of Meteorology.
More information about
RiverManager is available from www.ewatercrc.com.au
. More information about Water for the Future
is available from www.environment.gov.au/water
18,000 Western Port
properties exposed to climate change-related
floods, study shows
Media release - 3 October
2008 - A major study involving five local
councils from the Western Port region in
Victoria shows some 18,000 properties are
vulnerable to flood events related to climate
change.
The report also shows
that more than 73,000 people and 35,000
properties are currently in bushfire prone
areas in Western Port.
The Rudd Government
provided almost $500,000 towards the study,
undertaken by the Western Port Greenhouse
Alliance. The assessment gives a comprehensive
picture of projected climate change impacts
and proposes potential adaptation actions.
"The study highlights
the need for early action on climate change
to limit future social and economic costs,"
Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator
Penny Wong, said.
"It provides the
information governments and communities
need to protect regional economies, infrastructure,
housing, and peoples' lifestyles.
"Helping the Australian
community adapt to the unavoidable effects
of climate change is a key element of the
Government's climate change policy."
This study shows local
governments recognise that more work is
needed on current planning policies, legislation
and decision-making processes to keep pace
with our emerging understanding of climate
change.
More than 200 climate
change risks are identified in the Western
Port region, with more than half of these
related to coastal inundation or flooding
due to potential intense rainfall. Other
significant risk factors include wildfires.
The study finds that
around 18,000 properties (with a value of
almost $2 billion) are currently vulnerable
to flood events and more than 73,000 people
and 35,000 properties are currently in bushfire
prone areas.
The Western Port project
is the first of five national assessments
to be completed under the Australian Government's
$1.5 million Integrated Assessment of Human
Settlements initiative which builds the
capacity of local governments to identify
climate change challenges and develop responses.
Other projects are underway
in Sydney, Tasmania, and the Gold Coast.
A broader project has also started, focusing
on regional settlements across five locations
(Bendigo, Cooma, Queanbeyan, Australian
Capital Territory and Darwin).
The Western Port project
report and information about the Integrated
Assessment of Human Settlements initiative
are available from www.climatechange.gov.au/impacts/settlements.html.
