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 Goulbu-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.

未经允许不得转载：Wow! eBook » Irrigation, Salinity, and Rural Communities in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin, 1945–2020 (Palgrave Studies in World Environmental History)