The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder has been accumulating water from a variety of sources, to direct towards environmental health of the Murray-Darling Basin.
A report released in partnership with Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, Commonwealth environmental water sustaining Murray-Darling Basin ecosystems: 10-year (2014–24) retrospective, outlines how a decade of monitoring, evaluation and reporting is optimising management of Commonwealth environmental water holdings – a public asset with a market value approaching $10 billion.
This report celebrates the success of Flow-MER, highlighting the results achieved at a basin-scale.
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder’s science program aims to understand how our rivers, wetlands, floodplains, and the plants and animals depending on them, are responding to environmental water.
Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder Simon Banks said the Flow-MER program was a success due to its collaborative approach to harnessing the best science and knowledge.
Since Commonwealth environmental watering began in 2009, more than 18,000 gigalitres of water for the environment has been delivered across the basin, supporting fish, frogs, birds, plants and the wetlands they depend on. Since 2014, the Flow-MER program has informed when, where and how this water should be delivered to get the best results.
“This is not science for science’s sake — this is science in action,” Dr Banks said.
“After a decade of monitoring, we know environmental water is restoring life in our rivers and wetlands across the basin — and we’re using those insights to adapt when, where and how we deliver water to get the best outcomes.
“Every success is built on evidence, and every action is guided by a clear vision: healthy rivers for healthy communities — valuing every drop.”
Flow-MER has been extended through to 2030, ensuring science continues to guide environmental water management across the basin.
Access the 10-Year Retrospective Report: dcceew.gov.au/cewh
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