The Issues

The Barmah-Millewa forest system is situated on the River Murray, spreading out along the Murray and Edwards River floodplains bounded by Echuca, Deniliquin and Tocumwal. It straddles the main Murray River channel and is distributed almost equally between Victoria (Barmah) and New South Wales (Millewa).

Most of the 65,000 hectare area is dominated by dense stands of river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), making it the largest river red gum forest in the world (Robinson 1998). The system also includes significant patches of species-rich box woodland, unique Moira grassland communities and rushlands, as well as diverse aquatic communities dwelling in the permanent waterways, in semi-permanent billabongs and throughout the floodplain when the Murray floods (Hillman 1986; Pressey 1986; Parson 1991).

At present in Victoria only 1.5% of the remaining extent of river red gum forests are reserved for conservation. This is despite a commitment by all Australian governments to protect at least 15% of the pre-European extent of all forest types (COA, 1992).

Despite its ecological and environmental importance, very little of Barmah- Millewa is currently reserved for conservation. Most of the 65,000ha is reserved as state forest, which means that stock grazing and timber harvesting continue to be allowed there. Along with the regulation of the Murray River for irrigation, these uses pose major threats to the conservation values of the forest.

‘Kangaroos, wallabies, emus, possums, echidnas, bandicoots, native cats and native rodents once occurred throughout our lands. All of these animals used to be hunted by Yorta Yorta but most of them have now disappeared or become very rare’ (YYCG, 1999).

As a source of traditional foods, medicines and other goods, the Barmah-Millewa forest is the basis of a cultural economy for Yorta Yorta people - an economy which is rapidly being diminished by unsustainable grazing and logging industries.

The reservation of Barmah-Millewa as a national park is an overdue step for the red gum forests of the Murray.

Friends of the Earth recommends the following:

• That a new national park be established, encompassing all the lands and waters of the Barmah-Millewa forest wetland ecosystem.
• That the new park be jointly managed by the traditional owners of the Barmah-Millewa area, the Yort Yorta Nationa, and the Victorian and New South Wales governments.
• That Barmah-Millewa be listed on the Montreux Record of the UNESCO Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.

Current Management

Barmah-Millewa is currently divided up into several different reserves, including four state forests, one state park and a number of other, smaller reserves including regional parks and special protection zones, and it is managed by a number of different administrative authorities. This division of authority is partly because it is located on a political (state) boundary, partly because it is a riverine ecosystem encompassing both aquatic and terrestrial environments and partly because it is managed for multiple uses, including conservation, grazing, timber harvesting and quarrying.

The Barmah-Millewa forest-wetland complex has many values that are worth conserving through the introduction of national park status, including:

• Biodiversity values and iconic species
• Cultural heritage values
• Water quality and salinity remediation
• Tourism and recreation opportunities

Further information, and details on the more specific recommendations made by Friends of the Earth, go to our Submission to the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council’s River Red Gum Investigation, December 2006.

References:
Yorta Yorta Clans Group (1999) Final Report: Management Plan for Yorta Yorta Cultural Environmental Heritage Project.