Legal barriers and enablers for reintroducing tides: An Australian case study in reconverting ponded pasture for climate change mitigation

摘要

Across the globe, areas of the floodplain have been converted to agricultural use - often at the expense of natural ecosystems. In Australia, coastal wetlands have been transformed to 'ponded pasture' for cattle grazing which has resulted in a loss of saline wetlands, increased methane emissions, and impacts on species like fish and birds. Reconversion of these areas to saline wetlands is a potential climate change mitigation strategy, but given they occur at the intersection of private and public ownership regimes, some specific legal issues must be considered.