Irrigation, Salinity, and Rural Communities in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin, 1945–2020 (Palgrave Studies in World Environmental History)

Irrigation, Salinity, and Rural Communities in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin, 1945–2020 (Palgrave Studies in World Environmental History)
by: Daniel Rothenburg (Author)
Publisher:Palgrave Macmillan
Publication Date: 14 Jan. 2023
Language:English
Print Length:321 pages
ISBN-10:3031184505
ISBN-13:9783031184505
Book Description
This book explores the issue of salinization in the context of contemporary conflicts about irrigation, water, and the environment in Australia, considering the Murray-Darling Basin in particular. It provides an environmental and social history charting the transformation of rural communities in the basin through the salinization of soils and water. Focusing on the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation district in the southwest of the Murray-Darling basin – the largest irrigation district in Australia – it explores the history of state-directed, large-scale engineering in the district, where the environment has been altered dramatically to facilitate white agricultural settlement inland. Changes to the landscape led to extensive salinization, however – a significant environmental threat in Australia. This book traces the impact of these changes on rural communities, taking a ‘bottom-up’ approach, highlighting the connections between environmental, social, and political change. It provides animportant reflection on the importance of environmental history for facing the challenges posed by anthropogenic climate change.
About the Author