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Gomeroi cultural advisors led Year 8 students on a hands-on learning day at Whittaker's Lagoon. The students explored the cultural uses of wetland plants guli and burrarra and the role environmental water plays in keeping Country healthy.

How AI Is helping scientists listen as wetlands come to life

BirdNET, an AI technology trained to recognise frog and waterbird calls, is helping researchers track how quickly these species respond when water for the environment flows into dry wetlands along the Murrumbidgee River.

Dr Rupert Mathwin

Professor Skye Wassens

New drone method helps track floodplain vegetation across the Basin

A new drone and LiDAR method is helping Flow-MER researchers monitor floodplain vegetation more accurately and at greater scale across the Murray–Darling Basin.

Goulburn River and Northern Victorian Tributaries

River Flows and Connectivity

August 24, 2026

From science to practice: improving riverbank health in the Goulburn River

Drone monitoring on the lower Goulburn River revealed how steady base flows were driving concentrated erosion, prompting a shift to variable "saw-tooth" flow pattern for water delivery that is already showing healthier riverbanks.

Communications and Engagement

July 30, 2026

The Gwydir Wetlands: A wetland oasis in a modified landscape

Sixty kilometres north-west of Moree, surrounded by northern NSW farming country, the Gwydir Wetlands State Conservation Area is home to threatened aquatic ecosystems.

First of its kind Darling-Warrego / Baaka-Warriku fish survey with mixed results

Fish sampling was undertaken in the Darling / Baaka and Warrego / Warriku rivers during May and June 2025. This allowed us to monitor the state of the fish community immediately after high natural flows from heavy rainfall and flooding in the northern Basin over autumn.

Dr Jason Thiem

NSW DPIRD Fisheries

Darling-Warrego Area Team

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An adult congolli caught in a fishway trap, this fish was measured and released. Photo credit: SARDI

Lower Murray and Coorong, Lower Lakes, and Murray Mouth

Native Fish

June 30, 2026

Water for the environment supports fishway function and native fish migration

Water for the environment from the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) and other agencies is helping native fish move through South Australia’s Lower Lakes and Coorong, according to recent monitoring by SARDI scientists.

Communications and Engagement

June 29, 2026

Collaboration in conservation: A podcast companion to 'Mosaic: Life on the Western Lakes'

Ecologist Skye Wassens and landowner Peter Morton talk about bringing Paika Lake back to life, as part of the Mosaic project.

Connections to Kalari Bila: An Indigenous Knowledge book project for the Lachlan River

Families and Traditional Owners along the Kalari Bila are sharing stories for a new book capturing Country, culture and history on the Lachlan.

Tracking Golden Perch in the Lower Murrumbidgee

Eighty-one golden perch have been tagged with acoustic trackers in the Lowbidgee wetlands. Charles Sturt University researchers are now following their movements to uncover when and where they spawn, and how environmental water can best support their recovery.

Dr Rex Conallin

Dr Gordon O’Brien

Dr Anna Turner

Professor Skye Wassens

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Poor water quality impacted the Goulburn River at Shepparton in March 2026 as a result of sediment, ash and other organic material entering the waterway from the Longwood bushfire. A delivery of water for the environment helped dilute poor-quality water and maintain dissolved oxygen levels. Credit: Daniel Lovell, Goulburn Broken CMA

Goulburn River and Northern Victorian Tributaries

River Flows and Connectivity

June 18, 2026

Resilience In Action: How environmental water protected Goulburn River health through floods, fires and poor-quality inflows

When the 2026 Longwood bushfires sent ash and debris surging into the Goulburn River, environmental water already flowing through the system provided critical dilution at the right moment.

Lydia Drake

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During an optional field trip to the Macquarie Marshes following the forum, guests were welcomed to Country by Wayilwan Elder Uncle Tom Carney and enjoyed a performance in the Wayilwan language by the Warraan Widji Arts Centre’s Budjirriwan band. Video: Jane Howard, UNSW

Macquarie River and Marshes

Cultural Outcomes

May 21, 2026

2026 Flow-MER Northern Basin Forum

Flow-MER Project members, water managers, Aboriginal people, and other environmental experts came together for two days in March for the 2026 Flow-MER Northern Murray-Darling Basin Forum in Dubbo.

Jane Howard

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Completing in 2025

News

Celebrating 10 years of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder’s science program: Flow-MER (digital booklet)

Native food and fibre on-Country experience

How AI Is helping scientists listen as wetlands come to life

New drone method helps track floodplain vegetation across the Basin

From science to practice: improving riverbank health in the Goulburn River

The Gwydir Wetlands: A wetland oasis in a modified landscape

First of its kind Darling-Warrego / Baaka-Warriku fish survey with mixed results

Water for the environment supports fishway function and native fish migration

Collaboration in conservation: A podcast companion to 'Mosaic: Life on the Western Lakes'

Connections to Kalari Bila: An Indigenous Knowledge book project for the Lachlan River

Tracking Golden Perch in the Lower Murrumbidgee

Resilience In Action: How environmental water protected Goulburn River health through floods, fires and poor-quality inflows

2026 Flow-MER Northern Basin Forum