Largest broad-scale monitoring of environmental flows in the world

Wednesday, 25 January, 2017

Since 2014 ELA has been working on a Long Term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) project which monitors environmental flows across two sites in the northern basin of NSW: the Gwydir River at Moree and Warrego and Darling Rivers in Toorale National Park near Bourke.

The LTIM Project aims to monitor the ecological outcomes of Commonwealth environmental water use at seven areas across the Murray-Darling Basin, to evaluate the contribution of environmental water to achieving the objectives of the Murray Darling Basin Plan. The plan outlines the Australian government’s commitment to make the Murray-Darling a ‘healthy working river’. This means managing water in a way that supports the economic, cultural and environmental needs of the Basin and its communities. To do this, the Australian government in association with the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder have implemented a strategy to deliver Commonwealth environmental water throughout the Basin.

A collaboration between Eco Logical Australia and the University of New England, the study has been commissioned by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office as part of their $30mil broader LTIM Project. ELA also works closely with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and DPI Fisheries staff to collect and interpret information on the ground in two sites in the northern Basin.

This is the largest broad-scale monitoring of environmental flow outcomes in the world and we are thrilled to be involved with such a significant project. The success of this program is measured by monitoring environmental outcomes across the basin over the long term.

For more information on this project and others, go to: www.environment.gov.au/water/c...