Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists

The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists (in short, the Wentworth Group) is a group of Australian scientists concerned with the environment, that in November 2002 released a statement, Blueprint for a Living Continent. This calls for significant

Related Topics:
Australia - Scientist - The environment - 2002

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environmental reform to alleviate the mis-use of Australia's resources, significantly its water.

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The Wentworth Group proposes three main changes that the Federal and State governments can implement immediately:

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• Cease broadscale clearing of remnant native vegetation;
• Clarify "property rights" to water; and
• Purchase from current rights holders what they believe is urgently needed environmental flows of water for the Murray River and its tributaries.

The blueprint was widely publicised in the media and was considered by the highest levels of government.

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The Wentworth Group consists of:

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• Prof Peter Cullen - Director, Co-operative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, University of Canberra; President, Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies
• Prof Tim Flannery - zoologist and author (The Future Eaters)
• Assoc Prof Ronnie Harding - Institute of Environmental Studies, University of New South Wales
• Dr Steve Morton - Chief of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
• Prof Hugh Possingham - Director, Ecology Centre, University of Queensland
• Dr Denis Saunders - Conservation biologist and former CSIRO chief research scientist
• Prof Bruce Thom - Emeritus Professor, University of Sydney - former Chair Australian State of the Environment Committee
• Dr John Williams - former Chief of CSIRO Land and Water
• Prof Mike Young - Director Policy and Economic Research Unit, CSIRO Land and Water
• Peter Cosier - Policy Officer with the World Wide Fund for Nature.
• Leith Boully - Board Member, Australian Broadcasting Corporation and former Chair of the Community Advisory Committee of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission

The name of the group comes from the venue of their principal meetings prior to release of the blueprint.

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