Chapter 3. Landscape, People and Economy
Chapter 3. Landscape, people and economy Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 3. Landscape, people and economy Victoria’s North and Murray Water Resource Plan applies to surface water resources in the Northern Victoria and Victorian Murray water resource plan areas, and groundwater resources in Goulburn-Murray water resource plan area. This chapter provides a brief description of the landscape, people and economic drivers in the water resource plan areas. Working rivers The rivers of this water resource plan area provide many environmental, economic, and social benefits for Victorian communities. Most of northern Victoria’s rivers have been modified from their natural state to varying degrees. These modifications have affected hydrologic regimes, physical form, riparian vegetation, water quality and instream ecology. Under the Basin Plan it is not intended that these rivers and streams be restored to a pre-development state, but that they are managed as ‘working rivers’ with agreed sustainable levels of modification and use and improved ecological values and functions. 3.1 Features of Victorian Murray water resource plan area The Victorian Murray water resource plan area covers a broad range of aquatic environments from the highlands in the far east, to the Mallee region in the far west of the state. There are several full river systems in the water resource plan area, including the Kiewa and Mitta Mitta rivers. Other rivers that begin in different water resource plan areas converge with the River Murray in the Victorian Murray water resource plan area. There are a significant number of wetlands in this area, these wetlands are managed by four catchment management authorities (CMAs): Goulburn Broken, Mallee CMAs, North Central and North East and their respective land managers.
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