Bringing wetlands back to life

We want to see wetlands that are teeming with abundant native plant and animal life, are resilient to climate change impacts, support the continuation of culture for Traditional Owners and provide valuable opportunities for recreation and tourism. We want these wetlands to be protected, well-managed and receiving the water they need.

The problem

The majority of wetlands in the Basin are in a poor state of health. Only 4% of wetlands are receiving enough water to thrive and around 40% have not been inundated at all over the 36 years from 1988 to 2024 (Chen et. al., in publication).

Current management arrangements are not delivering the outcomes we need for wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin. Even internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetlands such as the Macquarie Marshes and the Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert wetlands are in a state of decline and have recently been listed as endangered and critically endangered respectively.

There are two main reasons for declining wetland health

• Not enough water is available to support wetlands
• The environmental water that is available can’t reach some wetlands and floodplains due to barriers that prevent the delivery of overbank flows. These flows are necessary for enabling water to spill over onto floodplains and wetlands, delivering water to these important areas.

Barriers to overbank flows (known as ‘constraints’) are things such as bridges, roads or private land that would be inundated by releasing the volumes of water that are necessary for delivering overbank flows. For example, the flows needed to get water to a high floodplain may result in a road crossing being inundated. If such inundation would have an unacceptable level of impact on the community, a road upgrade may be required before flows of sufficient volume can be delivered. These constraints restrict the ability of water managers to deliver the flows that are needed for the best ecological outcomes. Responsibility for addressing these constraints and enabling more natural flow regimes rests with state governments, with each state applying different tools and approaches. 

Overbank flows are crucial for getting water across the floodplain, and for maintaining ecological and cultural health throughout the system. Species and ecosystems are struggling and will continue to decline until these barriers to controlled overbank flows are addressed.

The solution

We need a systematic approach to remove barriers to overbank flows so that water can once again reach wetlands and floodplains, restoring life to these important places. 

Efforts to overcome barriers to overbank flows, known as ‘constraints relaxation’, have been far too slow to date. This work needs to be prioritised and resourced. Delivery of the Constraints Relaxation Roadmap needs to be progressed as a high priority, aiming for delivery in under 10 years where feasible and providing tailored assistance for states to overcome barriers to implementation. There needs to be tailored support to help resolve the issues in each catchment area and to address the needs of landholders. With a coordinated and resourced approach, constraints relaxation can deliver workable solutions designed to meet the needs of each area and provide benefits to local communities.

The Commonwealth needs to play a stronger role in progressing constraints relaxation. This could include taking a more active role in stakeholder engagement;  providing consistent funding and support for states to implement constraints relaxation; supporting states to address issues with planning approvals that can delay constraints relaxation work; and linking state funding to delivery of milestones. Work is also needed to better understand and communicate the benefits of constraints relaxation for flood risk reduction and upgrades of local infrastructure.