Mosaic Map: NRM funded projects
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Surveys to educate about wetland wonderlands
Most people are aware of the role wetlands play in providing native habitat, but it's amazing to discover almost 300 species of plants, fish, birds and frogs were surveyed in only 61 of the 1000 wetlands in South Australia's Murray Darling Basin region.
The regional survey project is helping local communities gain valuable insights into just how diverse wetlands can be and how they can get involved in activities to protect the River Murray ecosystem.
Funding
Work has been supported with $800,000 from the Australian and State Governments.
Activities and achievements
Principal Project Officer Peter Waanders from the SA Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management (SA MDB NRM) Board said while the health of many sites has improved no baseline data was previously available to measure their successes.
"The River Murray Wetlands Baseline Surveys have gathered valuable information on groundwater, water quality, physical characteristics as well as numbers of plants, fish, birds and frogs," he said.
The first survey took place in 2004 to collect a snapshot of information on 39 wetlands from the South Australian border in the north as far down as Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert in the south. This was followed up with a second survey project in January of 2005, with a further 22 wetlands sampled.
Comprehensive wetland management plans are being developed using the data collected to provide a blueprint for future activities involving new and existing community groups and volunteers.
"We're working with local groups to show them how they can also monitor their wetlands so they know what species live there and can assess the physical condition of the wetland. All the data is being compiled and will be used to improve management of these sites.
"The project is helping local groups achieve the best results for the region's wetlands, many of which have been recognised as internationally significant sites under the Ramsar Convention.
"By better targeting activities, we should see ongoing improvements in the health of South Australia's Murray River wetlands," he said.
More information
- Peter Waanders, SA MDB NRM Board: (08) 8582 4477 or pwaanders@rivermurray.sa.gov.au
- SA River Murray
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