Environmental monitoring

Turtles at Gunbower-Koondrook-Perricoota
Photo: David Kleinert

Environmental monitoring at The Living Murray icon sites is undertaken to assess the success of meeting The Living Murray objectives. Monitoring aims to use adaptive management techniques, where new data and information are considered as they become available, and are incorporated into the planning process as relevant.

The Living Murray monitoring program has been developed and agreed on to promote consistency across the icon sites, drawing on existing monitoring programs where appropriate. The focus of The Living Murray monitoring is on fish, birds and vegetation, which provide a good indication of the overall ecological health of the icon sites.

The types of monitoring activity undertaken include:

• River Murray system-scale monitoring which aims to determine if the health of the River Murray system improves following implementation of the First Step Decision
• icon site condition monitoring to determine changes at the icon site scale following the delivery of water and the implementation of the works programs under The Living Murray
• intervention monitoring to quantify relationships between the cause (watering and other interventions) and the effects (ecological response) at the icon site scale
• compliance monitoring to determine if works and watering regimes have been undertaken as agreed
• knowledge generation to identify and address knowledge gaps and inform risk management actions.

Monitoring reports

Mapping the condition of river red gum and black box stands in The Living Murray icon sites (2009)

Assessing the effectiveness of environmental flows on fish recruitment in Barmah–Millewa Forest (2009)

Annual survey of waterbird communities of The Living Murray icon sites (2008)