Submission to Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review
Centre for Ecosystem Science submission
Published on the 01 May 2026
The Centre for Ecosystem Science (CES), UNSW Sydney, supports policies and management of water resources by communities and their governments, focused on improving river and wetland health which provide for biodiversity and human well-being. We understand the complexities of river management and its important social and economic value. Explicitly we understand that governments and our communities have invested considerable resources in the development of rivers, with large dams, for productive irrigated agriculture.
Our advice is based on how best to achieve the balance between these production objectives and sustainability of Murray-Darling Basin rivers. Our advice is underpinned by considerable experience in the social-ecology of rivers across the Murray-Darling Basin, understanding of the policy and management challenges. We collectively have a strong scientific track record in river ecology and management. We provide our advice in this submission, predominantly underpinned by reference to the peer-reviewed scientific literature, a key requirement of the Water Act 2007 (Australian Government), which enables the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, the focus of this review.
The CES, UNSW Sydney provides this submission focusing on all 14 issues, of which 11 were explicitly identified in the review of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Of the 11 issues identified in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan review, six related to water for the environment and consequences of insufficient flows, including addressing climate change risks (for the environment); maximising the benefits of water for the environment; improving river connectivity in the Northern Basin; improving floodplain and wetland health; responding to native fish decline and; managing water quality (for the environment). Each of these issues has specific recommendations with some overlap.
Broadly, there is a fundamental need to provide more water in the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin. This would improve environmental outcomes, including mitigating mass fish kills and supporting recovery of native fish, improving floodplain and wetland health and other loss of biodiversity and connectivity of the Northern Basin rivers.
Implementation of flow targets is an important recommendation, upstream of major wetland assets, with a focus on different types of flow (in channel to over bank). These targets need to be regularly reported. This would also assist with Ramsar Convention obligations for regular reporting ecological character of wetlands and the Commonwealth Government’s responsibility.
Associated with this approach, we recommend assessment of the status of all major freshwater ecosystems in the Basin, providing a compilation of their risk of collapse and guiding restoration, complying with the Global Biodiversity Framework, using the Global Ecosystem Typology.
See below for full submission
