Celebrating 10 years of the CEWH’s science program Flow-MER

For a decade, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) has invested in science to ensure environmental water is planned, delivered and evaluated on a strong evidence base. The CEWH’s science program Flow-MER (Flow Monitoring, Evaluation and Research) has been central to this effort—building long-term datasets, strengthening partnerships and improving how outcomes are measured across the Murray–Darling Basin.

In this webinar, Dr Simon Banks (CEWH) and Prof. Mike Stewardson (Flow-MER Knowledge Exchange Project Director) reflect on ten years of CEWH science and the evolution of Flow-MER as a national-scale monitoring and evaluation program.

A/Prof. Qifeng Ye (SARDI/University of Adelaide), Project Lead for the Lower Murray and Coorong, Lower Lakes, and Murray Mouth, highlights the critical role of environmental water in maintaining salt export from the Basin and reducing salt import to the Coorong during low-flow years. In some years, Commonwealth environmental water provided 80–100% of flows over the barrages, underscoring its importance in protecting end-of-system health.

Prof. Skye Wassens (Charles Sturt University), Project Lead for the Murrumbidgee River System, presents species-level outcomes for the vulnerable Southern Bell Frog. Commonwealth environmental water has been pivotal to its recovery in the Murrumbidgee, supporting breeding events and maintaining refuge habitats that benefit a broader suite of wetland fauna.

Dr Will Higgisson (University of Canberra), Project Lead for the Lachlan River System, draws on nine years of reedbed monitoring to show that sites regularly receiving environmental water remain in more resilient ecological condition. He also discusses the integration of drone technology, demonstrating how Flow-MER continues to innovate in vegetation monitoring.

Geoff Reid (One Basin CRC), First Nations MER Lead, outlines the development of a Cultural Monitoring Network. Flow-MER is strengthening partnerships with First Nations communities—recognising and protecting cultural knowledges and working together on environmental water monitoring, evaluation and research.

Together, these perspectives demonstrate how science, innovation and diverse knowledges are shaping the next phase of environmental water management. As we can't cover everything in one webinar, we recommend looking at the Basin-scale Evaluation and Synthesis Reports and further stories on the Flow-MER website.