Geography is driving me INSANE!!!!!

[gold104]

Ah thanks. I didnt think about water allocation and trading as a management strategy.

Yeah, dont worry im stressing too =l

[mba]

Some last minute comments, I know its late.

- Important to know of impacts, both positive and negative on people and the environment that occur at your local resource (hasn't been ask for two yours)
- Know of a similiar resource to your local resource within it's region. Know how it is similiar, how far away it is etc.
I.e: Gunnamatta Beach, located approximately 7 kilometers east of Cape Schanck is a similar resource within the Mornington Peninsula National Park. It is similiar as recretional activities like those that occur at Cape Schanck, such as swimming and walking also occur here.
- Know of a local response to human population. Never appeared on the exam but may come up.
- Have plenty of quantifying data for your MDB and human population case studies. Have knowledge of the importance of water to differing users within the MDB. Be able to map major towns/irrigation regions/rivers etc. A map like this hasn't appeared since the 2008 exam.
- Understand the current management strategies that are being implemented within the MDB. Also know where they are being implemented. See 2008 exam.
- Have some knowledge on current events/issues within the MDB that could really make your answer stand out. Like info about the new Basin Plan and how this can be classified as a conflict, recent flooding lifting storages from 30 to 60%, Lake Hume is fall after being only at 1% of capacity a few years ago, the Murray mouth at Goolwa has reopened, Cubbie Station being placed in administration etc.
- Good to know of recent responses in regards to human population, i.e.: Aus immigration policy, paid maternaty leave coming into effect in 2011 etc.

All the best for tomorrow at 3, hopefully we all do well.

MBA.

[mba]

CONFLICT: New Basin Plan

Conflict occuring between farming groups, such as the Victorian Farmers Federation and the Murray Darling Basin Authority and it's Chairman Mike Taylor. Specific farmers that have been vocal regarding the new plan are rice growers in the Riverina region (Deniliquin, NSW). Conflict exists over the proposal to reduce water allocations and return a third of MDB water to environmental flows.

Viewpoints:
Irrigators MDB produces 40% of Australias agriculture supplies, this is not sustainable if a third (3000-4000gLs) are redirected into environmental flows. Victorian Farmers Federation also beleive that 50,000 jobs will be directly effected causing unemployment and economic hardship.
MDBA believes returning a third of the water to the environment will restore the natural ecosystems that have been damaged, such as the River Red Gum as a result of over allocations and drought since the early 2000's. Water can be redirected to the Living Murray icon sites (such as the Coorong and Barmah-Milwella Forest) to ensure biodiversity is mainted within the MDB.

Management of conflict: A $5.8 billion Irrigation Infrastructure Program has been established to increase funding for on-farm water savings. This may increase the effiency of water usage, therefore the loss of water for irrigation may be offset by the improved use of the remaining water for irrigation. However, the management strategy has not proved practical as yet. Only $300m of the allocated funds have been used since 2008.

[lara2707]

Only just saw this now, but thanks anyway!!!