Over lapping jurisdictions and areas of political control make systematic planning nearly impossible. Population pressures are in conflict with the needs of the ecology making it very difficult for the people in charge to see the larger picture as far as the region’s growth is concerned. There are gaps in the information that has been gathered about the ecological character of the wetlands that make it hard to know the overall condition of this vast resource. The wetlands are accepted as valuable both for the biodiversity they contain as well as for the ecologically sensitive functions of the biosphere, but the lack of a comprehensive plan for usage is crippling for its management.

The issues that affect wetland policy are complex and will require a great deal of study in order to effectively manage the area in such a way as to both preserve the wetlands and allow for human development. The maintenance of this vital area is a task for the users, managers, and owners to undertake with scientists from many different disciplines.

We’d like to thank Mr Mark Paton on this great contribution to our website.

Climate Change and Wetlands

With the destruction of wetlands the weather is impacted, like with flooding and drought. The loss of these areas causes an emission of carbon dioxide and this goes straight into the atmosphere for a continuous amount of time, causing a fluctuation in the normal temperatures. The natural protection against severe weather is compromised.
This is why it is eminent to protect and maintain the wetlands; they cannot be destroyed to make way for farmland or other type of properties.

It is a necessary part of the natural progression of nature, the plants and animals that live in these wetlands must be protected. If the wetlands were destroyed these plants will die and it will in turn kill the animals that feed off of the plants, because they will have nothing to eat, and in turn the predators that eat those animals will starve slowly. It is a vicious cycle that grows and never ends. The protection of the wetlands is something that has to be taken seriously and the impact that it has on the climate and keeping areas from having floods and storms and hurricanes is essential in the grand scheme of things.

We’d like to thank Miss Sue Lang on this contribution to our web page.

In the wet tropics, it is warm or hot throughout the year. Rain falls most of the year round, and there is a short dry season of just one or two months. In some mountainous regions, such as in the highlands of Papua New Guinea and elsewhere in south-east Asia, rain can occur throughout the year and the total annual rainfall can be over 10 000 mm (10 metres)! All that water has to go somewhere, and the wet tropics can boast spectacular wetland complexes, from the highlands to the coast.

Tropical rainforests support an incredible diversity of animals, insects and plants, and tropical wetlands are equally productive ecosystems. Wetlands of the wet tropics include peat swamps and peat forests; mountain streams and rivers; flooded forests and plains; mangroves, tidal flats and coral reefs.

The Wet-dry Tropics

About one quarter of the world’s tropical landmass is classified as wet-dry. The wet-dry tropics are characterised by two broad seasons – a cool/warm dry season and a warm, humid wet season. The climate is strongly seasonal and most rainfall occurs over just three months of the year. In Australia, the wet-dry tropics extend across the north of the continent and south-east along part of the Great Dividing Range (see map of Australia).

The wet season is spectacular, with dramatic lightning displays, monsoon rains and lush vegetation growth. There is a high risk of cyclones along the coast at this time of year. It is a time for many animals to breed, including crocodiles, fish, water birds and frogs.

In the dry season that follows, the black soil floodplains become dry and cracked and many waterholes disappear. During this time, permanent creeks, rivers and billabongs become important refuges for great numbers of crocodiles, fish, birds and other animals. Fires occur in the woodland, and later on floodplains and along creeklines as they dry out. By the end of the dry season, the weather grows hotter and more humid and the entire landscape seems to bask in the sun, waiting for the first rains.

Primary responsibility for water management lies with the state and territory governments. At the national level, the Australian Government provides leadership and resources to drive water reforms. This draws together many agencies, departments, state and regional organisations, as well as the community, working together for the sustainable management of Australia’s water resources.

The Department of the Environment and Water Resources recognises the unique characteristics of our surface and groundwater systems, and their vital contribution to the economic, social and environmental health of Australia and is acting to protect these key resources.

Under the National Water Initiative, the blueprint for Australia’s water reform, the Department has responsibility for matters specifically concerning environmental water. These include high conservation value ecosystems, groundwater dependent ecosystems and environmental water accounting. The department is also progressing urban water reforms including the continued implementation of the National Water Quality Management Strategy and the development and implementation of the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards scheme (WELS).

Working collaboratively, the Department develops and implements other Australian Government initiatives including policy, programmes and legislation, to assist in the sustainable management of our rivers, groundwater, and wetlands.

The Air Quality Section of the Department of the Environment and Heritage seeks to protect and improve urban air quality through national action to reduce emissions of major air pollutants. The Department’s focus is on those sectors that make the greatest contributions to adverse air quality as well as those pollutants that continue to pose threats to the environment and human health.

National action can relate to the implementation of relevant national standards and strategies and a common approach to monitoring air quality, research to inform air quality policy and community education on air quality issues.

National policies and programmes relate principally to the reduction of emissions from three sectors:

• Transport: National initiatives aim to reduce the impact of road transport on environment quality, urban amenity and human health. People’s travel behaviour is also targeted, including promotion of bicycle use for short journeys.
• Residential: Residential and dispersed sources of pollution, such as heating with wood, back yard burning and domestic appliances, are small but numerous, and as the National Pollutant Inventory shows, can be significant sources of air pollutants. Another emerging issue is indoor air quality.
• Industry: Emissions from larger industries are reported under the National Pollutant Inventory and are subject to State/Territory control programmes.

Where are the largest and deepest lakes?
Caspian Sea – the largest and deepest lake found in (former) Russia. It is near the border with Iran. Although the name suggests otherwise it is a lake  and not a sea, as it is surrounded entirely by land. It is called sea because it is so immensely large. The area of the Caspian Sea is less than 360,700 square kilometers.
Balkalmeer – the deepest lake in Siberia. The deepest part or root of this lake is 1940 meters.

Where to find the longest river?
The Nile – the longest river in Africa (North Africa) with a length of 6670 km.

Why do some river deltas?
It happens when a river flows directly into the sea, and it divides or branches at the end in several small rivers. A delta occurs when the river mud sludge outlet where the smaller river walk their way through courses to culminate in the sea. It is named after the Greek letter delta, because the triangular shape.

Will the lakes and rivers continue to exist?
Lakes and rivers can exist thousands and thousands of years. A river cuts through the country and the underlying rock gradually. But, rivers can dry up, and in particular places there are so-called rain rivers, as there is little or no supply of fresh water.
Lakes are fed by rivers that carry soil particles. Gradually becomes more filled with such particles, then ‘silted up’ this, which also may be due to the remains of countless generations of plants. The water then turns into a swamp, the trees grow and then finally turns up on dry land.

What is an estuary?
An estuary is the last part of a river, where it dilates and flows into the sea. This is also called the mouth of a river causing large mud banks and mud banks occur where the river winds its way through the sea searching for.

How high is the highest waterfall?
The highest waterfall is Angel Falls in Venezuela. The water crashes into a jerk at 807 meters down. The cascade has a total height of 979 meters.

How quickly does a waterfall move?
A waterfall (the landfill border) gradually moves upstream from the river, where the rapid flow of water down the rock edge which he dumps uitslijpt eventually. The famous Niagara Falls, at the border of the United States and Canada is, moves to around 1 meter per year upstream.

Every Person, Household and Business can help reduce the nation’s increasing waste issue by making considerate, vigilant choices every day concerning how much every one of us actually wastes.

The world’s waste issue starts with the decisions every individual and business make daily. If every one of us attempts to be additionally ecologically aware with what we buy and with our daily practices, we can make a solemn dent in the boundless piles of trash already filling landfills globally.

There are some easy and basic strategies you could follow to lower your waste contributions to the globe’s trash piles. If you have the option between two like items, select the one that does not consist of a lot of packaging (or, in the situation of additional products or produce, choose items that do not have any packaging).

If feasible, purchase products that are made to last for many years, reusable products, for instance, instead of purchasing products that you throw away after you use them.

Think about purchasing items you use often, like laundry and dish soap, hand soap and so forth, and buy them in bulk rather than purchasing smaller containers. You will be helping lower waste issues because if you buy bulk products, you cut down on packaging too.

Attempt to shop for bulk products in every place you shop. Include loved ones and friends in your new “Go Green” efforts as well. Maybe you and your family members and/or friends want the same items. You could all go in together to pay for bulk items and then share the products.

Try to pay attention to how much of each of the most used products you truly use and purchase just the amount you need. Material goods as well as packaging are just two parts of helping to reduce waste in the nation and helping with energy saving.

Every one of us can make a huge difference by making an extra effort and remaining conscious of what we buy and use. We can all cut down on waste and cut down on what we use for water, paper, electricity, gasoline and so forth. In the majority of situations, decreasing what we use, reducing waste and just using the necessary essentials in life (buying less) will help create an additionally peaceful, more cost-effective, additionally environmentally friendly world for everyone.

Solar energy is also an excellent energy source for areas beyond the electrical grid. Using solar energy lowers electricity bills and gives the owner protection against power outages. Generate your own electricity, save money and gain independence using solar panel systems.

Solar powered chargers for electronics are also becoming very popular, as is solar powered hot water. Wind turbines are being erected in different countries all over the world. We have been using hydroelectricity for years and it, alone, makes up 76% of energy produced by renewable resources.

By using green power, we are helping to limit the amount of greenhouse gases that escape into the atmosphere. It’s refreshing that people all over the world are taking part in harnessing the power that our wonderful planet has endowed us.