We count ourselves lucky to work in beautiful places like the Gwydir Wetlands State Conservation Area. Having been visiting these sites for just over 8 years now, we had a flick through the photo albums and selected a handful of our favourites to share with you. Enjoy!
In late May researchers from across the Northern Murray-Darling Basin came to the University of New England to participate in a two-day forum showcasing the last years worth of new environmental flow related science. The annual forum highlights opportunities for collaboration where we all share the mutual goal of achieving better environmental outcomes through environmental water delivery and management.
Our UNE colleagues studied frogs (Yurraya) in the Gwydir. Surveys found a strong link between watering and frog breeding activity.
Toorale State Conservation Area provides for many significant bird species which rely on water flows through the system, and over the past 8 years of monitoring we have had the pleasure of capturing images and records of many threatened species.
We’ve seen a pretty spectacular response in the fringing wetlands of the Gwydir State Conservation Area, were wetland vegetation species have burst back to life after severe drought followed by back-to-back flooding.
Recognising the dire state of the native Gaygay (Freshwater catfish in Gamilaraay language) in the Gwydir, DPI Fisheries made efforts to boost the Freshwater catfish population in the lower Gwydir by relocating adults from Copeton Dam.
Widespread and enduring inundation of the Gwydir Wetlands has triggered large scale colonial waterbird nesting that is occurring right now in the wetlands for the first time in 10 years!
The end of 2021 saw higher than average rainfall across the Northern Murray-Darling Basin which produced the largest flows through the Darling River since 2012, with a peak of 73,000 ML/day at the Bourke gauge. Usually, the Warrego River flows into the Darling just south of Bourke. However, during this event water levels in the Darling got so high that water flowed over the banks of the Darling to the floodplains and riparian areas and also backed up into the Warrego channel!
In Flow-MER we talk a lot about primary productivity, here’s a breakdown of what we are talking about.
Lignum is the water-dependent shrub that grows on floodplains and in wetlands. It plays an important part in the vegetation communities on the Western Floodplains.