Irrigation, Salinity, and Rural Communities in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin, 1945-2020

1. Auflage 2023
ISBN: 978-3-031-18453-6
Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buch, Englisch, 303 Seiten, Format (B × H): 148 mm x 210 mm, Gewicht: 421 g

Reihe: Palgrave Studies in World Environmental History

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.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Rothenburg, Daniel

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Mentalitäts- und Sozialgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction .- 2. History, Geography, and Geology .- 3. Antecedents .- 4. The Dialectic of Environmental Security (1945–1976) .- 5. A Time of Crisis (1976–1982) .- 7. Community Activism (1966–1988) .- 8. A New World (1979–1994) .- 9. Under Control? (1988–2017) .- 10. Conclusion.

Über Autor(innen)

Daniel Rothenburg is Scientific Coordinator and Research Associate at the Collaborative Research Center 923 “Threatened Order”, University of Tübingen, Germany.