The Australian Greens welcomed the release today of the Wetlands for Our Future report, and called on the Rudd Government to move quickly to implement an National Wetlands Initiative.

"Many of Australia's unique and internationally recognised wetlands are highly threatened," said Senator Rachel Siewert today.

"With 80% of the wetlands within the Murray Darling Basin already lost and the remaining few dying for a drink it is high time the Commonwealth acted on its international commitments."

"The Australian government can immediately begin recovering water for threatened wetlands by accelerating water purchases and setting key targets and timelines for returning environmental water," said Senator Siewert.

"We urgently need to review threats to key wetlands within the Murray Darling Basin - including the Coorong, Chowilla Floodplain, Gwydir Wetlands and the Macquarie Marshes - and list them as threatened on the Montreux Register," she said.

"Management and recovery plans for Ramsar wetlands should become statutory plans under the Commonwealth Water Act to stop them being ignored and over-ridden," said Senator Siewert.

"This needs to be backed up by provisions in the Act which ensure that enough water is set aside to protect and maintain these sites in the face of climate change."

"We should also establish a wetlands management fund so that private water managers can help the Commonwealth meet its international commitments to manage wetlands that are on private lands," she said.

"The recent decision on the Sugarloaf Pipeline has highlighted that the EPBC Act also needs to be amended to ensure that any actions which will have a significant impact on important freshwater areas or national water resources is fully subject to assessment and approval."

"Our internationally-recognised wetlands are dying for a drink. Its time the Rudd Government acted on their responsibilities for their care," she concluded.

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