I just wanted to write with a short message of congratulations - it's a great time to be a part of the conservation movement in Australia!

News has come through that the Queensland Government will formally protect the mighty Lake Eyre Basin rivers - Cooper's Creek and the Georgina and Diamantina rivers - under the state's Wild Rivers laws.

What a fantastic way to cap off 2011! The protection of these precious river systems is something that the Wilderness Society - together with Traditional Owners, local farmers and other conservationists - has been working toward for years.

The scale of this win is truly enormous. A whopping 4.5 million hectares of land surrounding these pristine watercourses, lakes and wetlands (that's more than twice the size of Kakadu and three times the size of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area) will now be kept safe from coal seam gas and petroleum mining - both of which were emerging as major threats.

As an added benefit, we've already secured an additional ten Indigenous Wild River Ranger jobs to help ensure the protection of these rivers.

Take a minute now to watch this short video, see footage of the landscapes and wildlife that are now protected, and feel proud of the part you've played in achieving this momentous victory.

Together we've achieved so much to protect our Wild Rivers. Thank you for your amazing support.