SYDNEY (January 14, 2026)— Humane World for Animals Australia (previously known as Humane Society International Australia) is proud to have secured protection for two Murray Darling Basin wetland ecosystems under Australia's new nature laws announced by Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt today.
The Lower Murray, including the Coorong at the river mouth, and the Macquarie Marshes have both been listed as Critically Endangered "Threatened Ecological Communities" under the newly amended Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, as a result of scientific nominations from Humane World working with Professor Richard Kingsford at the University of New South Wales.
"Together, the Lower Murray and Macquarie Marshes ecosystems are a Noah's Ark for wildlife," said Humane World for Animals Australia's Campaign Director, Nicola Beynon.
"When the Macquarie Marshes are thriving, the sky is filled with internationally important water birds. The River Murray downstream of the Darling River is a one-of-a-kind ecosystem covering one of the most unique and biodiverse sections of the Murray Darling Basin system," said Ms Beynon. "Yet these ecosystems have been so deteriorated by catchment degradation and water extraction, exacerbated by climate change, they have been identified as being at risk of ecological collapse."
Politically, the listings are a long overdue course correction as both ecosystems were briefly listed as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act by the Rudd Government in 2013, but this protection was disallowed by the incoming Abbott Government. They have suffered further degradation in the years since.
"While we still see wet years, these ecological communities aren't recovering from droughts and other natural events like they used to," said Ms Beynon.
"Every boom is a little smaller and every bust has a bigger impact. And in 2019, the Macquarie Marshes were so dry they caught on fire.
"Ensuring these areas are properly protected under our national nature laws will provide another important lever to improve management and help to restore the river systems to health.
"As the driest inhabited continent on Earth, healthy river systems are especially important in Australia. Neglect of these areas has a devastating ecological impact with consequences for both wildlife and people."
