Antinuclear

The Ramsar-protected wetland regularly supports more than 20,000 waterbirds, and more than 500,000 birds when there are large floods.

But the blaze, which started on Saturday, has so far burnt 3,000 hectares of national park and early estimates suggest 90 per cent of the wetland’s main reed bed has been razed.

Director of the Centre for Ecosystem Science at the University of New South Wales Professor Richard Kingsford feared the fire could destroy the unique ecosystem.

“Reeds are very deep-rooted plants, but they can only come back if there’s water in the system,” Professor Kingsford said…….

Drought, fire threaten endangered species

Professor Kingsford has been studying waterbirds in the Macquarie Marshes for almost 30 years.

Right now it was the driest he had ever seen it.

“It’s almost impossible to find any water in the northern part of the Macquarie Marshes,” he said.

“Water birds there are extremely low in numbers and when we were out there in September there were a lot of dead and dying animals around……

Massive flood needed

Floodplain landholder Dugald Bucknell runs his grazing operation alongside the national park.

He described the latest wildfire as the “devastating” consequence of drought and failed water policy.

In August, the Berejiklian Government intervened to divert water from the Macquarie River at Warren to drought-hit towns such as Cobar and Nyngan.

“There’s no water in Burrendong Dam upstream of the marshes, there’s virtually no water in stock and domestic dams downstream of it, and somehow we’re meant to wish for a miracle to re-wet our marshlands,” Mr Bucknell said.

He said the wetlands were not getting the water they needed to survive and feared more fires would follow.

“It’s becoming unsustainable. Its frightening,” Mr Bucknell said.

“We’re killing off our kids’ and grandkids’ future to take a bit more water elsewhere in the system.”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-28/macquarie-marshes-on-fire-90pc-reed-bed-razed/11645914