significant wetland with the Boobera Lagoon Lagoon Boobera the with wetland significant significant to local Aboriginal people. Aboriginal local to significant Environmental water A fresh event describes an increase in levels Commonwealth Pungbougal Lagoon complex is a nationally nationally a is complex Lagoon Pungbougal across the Basin and are culturally culturally are and Basin the across of the river beyond the base flow, but does The Morella Watercourse/Boobera Lagoon/ Watercourse/Boobera Morella The food and habitat for many native animals animals native many for habitat and food use in the Border Rivers not fill the river channel or go over the bank. environmental water communities are essential for providing providing for essential are communities black-necked storks and magpie geese. geese. magpie and storks black-necked likelihood of young tree survival. These These survival. tree young of likelihood great egret, brolgas, Australian painted snipe, snipe, painted Australian brolgas, egret, great to date This year, Commonwealth environmental water supply improvements to condition and greater greater and condition to improvements population features a range of ages. of range a features population internationally significant waterbirds including the the including waterbirds significant internationally may be used to improve in-stream habitat to and blackbox communities, along with with along communities, blackbox and means that over the long-term a species’ species’ a long-term the over that means when flooded, support nationally and and nationally support flooded, when Environmental demand and water support threatened fish species in the Dumaresq The water acquired by the Maintain current extent of river red gum gum red river of extent current Maintain stages. Improved or supported recruitment recruitment supported or Improved stages. The Border Rivers’ many billabongs and wetlands, wetlands, and billabongs many Rivers’ Border The availability influence Commonwealth and Macintyre Rivers. If there is sufficient Australian Government through native fish or plants) survival through all life life all through survival plants) or fish native gudgeon, olive perchlet and eel-tailed catfish. catfish. eel-tailed and perchlet olive gudgeon, additional rainfall, Commonwealth Maintain base river flows. river base Maintain environmental water management. investment in more efficient irrigation Recruitment describes a species’ (like (like species’ a describes Recruitment the Murray cod, silver perch, purple-spotted purple-spotted perch, silver cod, Murray the environmental water could contribute to Environmental water can be used infrastructure, and other measures, Watering Strategy Watering including a number of threatened species such as as such species threatened of number a including improving wetland connectivity and breeding under the Basin-wide Environmental Environmental Basin-wide the under with the purpose of assisting to ‘avoid National Park. Park. National assists with providing some of the fish in particular, supporting at least 16 species species 16 least at supporting particular, in fish of threatened fish species in the lower Summary of longer-term outcomes outcomes longer-term of Summary Queensland Severn River in Sundown Sundown in River Severn Queensland The Border Rivers region is abundant with native native with abundant is region Rivers Border The damage’ to the environment through Macintyre River. If conditions become very river flows needed to restore and Goondiwindi and Boomi, and the the and Boomi, and Goondiwindi to ‘improving’ ecological health dry again Commonwealth environmental protect river systems throughout the nationally significant wetlands. significant nationally Murray-Darling Basin Plan). Plan). Basin Murray-Darling floodplain lagoons between between lagoons floodplain depending on how much water is water may be used to contribute to waterways, creeks and wetlands including including wetlands and creeks waterways, Basin’s irrigation districts. Strategy (part of the implementation of the the of implementation the of (part Strategy junction of the Severn River in NSW, the the NSW, in River Severn the of junction drought refuges. animals, plants, birds and fish that rely on healthy healthy on rely that fish and birds plants, animals, available and the environmental need outlined in the Basin-wide Environmental Watering Watering Environmental Basin-wide the in outlined Macintyre River from Mungindi to the the to Mungindi from River Macintyre to support the Border Rivers’ many unique native native unique many Rivers’ Border the support to of the system. Commonwealth environmental water is the achievement of environmental outcomes as as outcomes environmental of achievement the This is particularly important in the the in important particularly is This Nesting brolga, Photo: Brian Furby Collection Environmental water is delivered to key locations locations key to delivered is water Environmental often used to supplement large rainfall national significance. We are also working toward toward working also are We significance. national increased movement and distribution. distribution. and movement increased The last three years have seen low water flows to events and environmental water provided legislation and wetlands of international or or international of wetlands and legislation medium and long-lived species) and and species) long-lived and medium tourism and recreational activities. recreational and tourism the Border Rivers region. However, small local by the New South Wales Office of , state-based state-based , 1999 Act Conservation Biodiversity supporting regular recruitment (for short, short, (for recruitment regular supporting Aboriginal Traditional Owners as well as as well as Owners Traditional Aboriginal rainfall events provided a series of small freshes Environment and Heritage. Environmental Protection and and Protection Environmental the under Prevent loss of native fish species by by species fish native of loss Prevent cultural values and practices of local local of practices and values cultural throughout the system in 2014–15 and 2015–16. Depending on river operating rules, sites that support nationally threatened species species threatened nationally support that sites to large scale breeding events. breeding scale large to agriculture and irrigated production, production, irrigated and agriculture flow constraints and climatic conditions, floodplains and wetlands, particularly, to those those to particularly, wetlands, and floodplains While the freshes experienced in the last few but is unlikely to significantly contribute contribute significantly to unlikely is but support domestic water use, extensive extensive use, water domestic support the Commonwealth Environmental Water partners to improve connections between rivers, rivers, between connections improve to partners years were below the level needed to achieve foraging opportunities for waterbirds, waterbirds, for opportunities foraging and rich natural environments that that environments natural rich and Holder can agree to: in partnership with state and local delivery delivery local and state with partnership in connectivity with wetlands and floodplains in could be used to improve habitat and and habitat improve to used be could Commonwealth environmental water is managed managed is water environmental Commonwealth The Border Rivers region contains diverse diverse contains region Rivers Border The the lower catchment, small amounts of water ■ use water to meet identified Commonwealth environmental water water environmental Commonwealth have helped maintain an almost continuous environmental demands pools to these species in times of drought. drought. of times in species these to pools However, in the Border Rivers Valley, Valley, Rivers Border the in However, flow to the end of the system throughout wetlands wetlands large range of native fish and providing refuge refuge providing and fish native of range large by supporting breeding opportunities. opportunities. breeding supporting by ■ 2015–16. Murray cod and eel-tailed catfish bred hold on to the water and carry it over Wales are also significant areas, supporting a a supporting areas, significant also are Wales and increase abundance of waterbirds waterbirds of abundance increase and in the Dumarseq River during spring 2015 and for use in the next water year floodplains and and floodplains Queensland and the Severn River in New South South New in River Severn the and Queensland Maintain the current species diversity diversity species current the Maintain there were a good number of large-bodied fish (‘carryover’) The lower reaches of the Severn River in in River Severn the of reaches lower The lower Border Rivers. Border lower the health of our rivers, rivers, our of health the observed in the Severn River (New South Wales), ■ trade (sell or buy water) for equal or valuable habitat for wildlife during drought. during wildlife for habitat valuable of lignum shrubland communities of the the of communities shrubland lignum of despite the prolonged drier than average greater environmental benefit. waterbodies in the northern Basin, providing providing Basin, northern the in waterbodies floodplains and improve the condition condition the improve and floodplains dedicated to improving improving to dedicated period. Lagoon is also one of the few permanent permanent few the of one also is Lagoon wetlands, streams and on low-lying low-lying on and streams wetlands, Aboriginal