The Vasse Wonnerup estuaries immediately south and east of Busselton in WA have similar, albeit smaller, problems to those described in this sensible article. The VW estuaries were closed off to direct contact with the marine environment of Geographe Bay about 90 years ago with floodgates that were designed to protect Busselton from storm surge flooding. Today, the estuaries are allowed to dry out, essentially destroying their seasonal environmental values (35,000 birds, 4 species of birds occurring in sizes >1% of Australia's total population).

The obvious solution is to allow seawater back into the estuaries over summer, just as had happened for the past 8000 years. Now, however, one of the impediments to better waterway management is the Ramsar listing of the site, with govt agencies reluctant to change the environmental conditions of the estuaries in case the change is contrary to the existing ecological character description of the site.

I've visited the barrages that control water flow into and out of the Lower Lakes and am amazed the barrages haven't been blown up by someone with a little commonsense and vision so that natural conditions can return to the system. If Adelaide and Broken Hill need freshwater, desalination is a reliable and cost effective technology.

Based on evidence of substance I think it absurd the RAMSAR mob are not wanting to restore the environment to it's natural productive state where possible in harmony with society.

Absolutely absurd.