Gwydir Wetlands: Gingham and Lower Gwydir (Big Leather) Watercourses. 14/06/99; New South Wales; 823 ha; 29°18'S 149°14'E. Private landholdings. The Gwydir wetland is one of the largest inland wetlands in New South Wales and home to half a million nesting and breeding waterbirds. The designated area is entirely privately-owned and forms part of a much larger wetland system in the Murray-Darling drainage system. Large parts of the surrounding land are used for cotton growing and cattle grazing, with the latter continuing, and carefully regulated, as part of the wise use of the site. A Memorandum of Understanding on the designation and future management of the site was signed on World Wetlands Day 1999 by the four landowning families and officials of the State and Commonwealth governments, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the National Parks Association. Ramsar site no. 993. Most recent RIS information: 1999.