Adaptive Management of Commonwealth Environmental

Water in the Murray-Darling Basin

The Basin Plan and beyond, ABARES Outlook 2016

David Papps, Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder

Fast Facts

• responsible for protecting or restoring the environmental assets of the Murray-Darling Basin.

• consistent with the Water Act 2007; Environmental Watering

Plan; and Environmental Watering Strategy.

The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder

• four key outcomes with

specific targets

• covers use of all

environmental water

• achievable under

current constraints and operational rules

River flows and

connectivity

Vegetation Waterbirds Fish

Improve

connections along

rivers and between

rivers and their

floodplains

Maintain the current

extent and improve

the condition

Maintain current

species diversity,

improve breeding

success and

numbers

Maintain current

species diversity,

extend

distributions and

improve

breeding success

and numbers

An improvement of

overall flow with

10% more into the

Barwon-Darling, 30%

more into the River

Murray and 30-40%

more to the Murray

mouth

Maintain the current

extent of 360,000 ha

of river red gum,

409,000 ha of black

box, 310,000 ha of

coolibah forest and

woodlands

20-25% increased

abundance of

waterbirds by 2024

Improved

breeding success

for short lived

species and long

lived species at

80% of key sites

Basin Wide Strategy (2014 – 2024)

# Priorities

1 Provide flow variability and longitudinal connectivity within rivers to support refuge habitats

2 Ensure a variable flow pattern and lateral connectivity through coordinated weir pool management in the River Murray from Euston to Blanchetown

3 Improve water quality, fringing vegetation and native fish movement by varying the water levels in Lake Alexandrina and Albert to maintain flows into the Coorong and Murray Mouth

4 Maintain and where possible improve conditions on in-stream riparian vegetation, through in-channel freshes

5 Improve the condition of wetland vegetation communities in the mid-Murrumbidgee wetlands

6 Maintain semi-permanent wetland vegetation in core refuge areas in the Macquarie Marshes

7 Maintain the condition and range of Moira grass in Barnah-Millewa Forest by supplementing a natural event and extending the duration of inundation

8 Improve the complexity and health of priority waterbird habitat to maintain species richness and aid future population recovery

9 Maintain native fish populations by protecting and improving the conditio0n of fish habitats and providing opportunities for movement

10 Protect native fish populations and in-stream habitats, particularly drought refuges in the northern Basin

11 Contribute to the long-term recovery of Silver Perch by maintaining key populations, supporting recruitment and facilitating movement and dispersal

2015-16: Annual priorities

• decisions for the use of Commonwealth environmental water are made in the context of our ‘Good Neighbour Policy’:

- conservative, risk averse management

- avoiding third party impacts

- using local knowledge/meaningful engagement in decision-making

• mutually respectful and harmonious co-existence

Principles for delivery of environmental water

• engagement and participation – not just consultation

• including the community in early planning and design

• continuing role for local interest and community groups to create ownership

• accessing local knowledge and experience – what we heard and what we did

• regular updates and information sharing

• getting to know the people involved and who depend on the river systems for their livelihood

• demonstrating outcomes

Localism: building a social licence

Adaptively Managing the Commonwealth’s holdings

Adaptive Management: Natural Cues

Adaptive Management: Goulburn River Flows 2012-13

Adaptive Management: Goulburn River Flows 2013-14

Adaptive Management: Goulburn River Flows 2014-15

• framework linking Basin Plan and

Strategy objectives to watering events

• monitoring detailed ecological

responses to environmental watering in

seven areas

• complementing monitoring by MDBA

and States

• models used to extrapolate results to

areas not monitored

• evaluation: independent, expert and

transparent

CEWO Monitoring and Evaluation

2014-15 OUTCOMES

Improved outcomes for native fish, birds, frogs and habitat from environmental watering.

HIGHLIGHTS