The Inland Rivers Network (“IRN”) is a coalition of environment groups and individuals that has been advocating for healthy rivers, wetlands and groundwater in the Murray-Darling Basin since 1991.
Objectives of Inland Rivers Network
The world’s longest blue-green algae bloom in the Darling River was a wake-up call for all Australian’s that our largest inland river system had serious problems.
The process of reforming how water is managed in Australia commenced from that time.
IRN has been at the table for over 25 years advocating on behalf of native fish, water birds, wetlands, Aboriginal cultural values and downstream communities in the Basin for a fairer share of water and a return to the natural variability of our inland river systems.
The Murray-Darling Basin Plan is the outcome of many years of campaigning by communities and conservationists to restore the river system back to health. The Plan is now at a critical stage of implementation.
The years of over-extraction and over-development of irrigated agriculture on the world’s driest inhabited continent has caused long-term damage to our rivers, wetlands, floodplains, native fish, water birds and other animal species.
The time to give water back to the rivers to restore the degradation has arrived. The Federal Government has invested $13 billion into the process to ensure that a balanced outcome is achieved.
Over the years IRN has run workshops, conferences and forums to highlight the importance of healthy rivers, wetlands and groundwaters.
IRN is a member of the Australian Wetland Network:
http://conservationvolunteers.com.au/what-we-do/revive-our-wetlands/australian-wetland-network/
Inland Rivers Network 