This management plan continues the system to facilitate and regulate sustainably harvesting and producing material for the NSW cut-flower industry. The tools and strategies in this plan support the long-term conservation of plant species used in the industry, both in their natural habitat and as part of a viable cultivated native flora industry.
In the Murray and Lower Darling valleys, environmental watering is now focused on maintaining the resilience and basic functions of wetlands (including icon sites and Ramsar-listed wetlands) and waterways.
Supporting high-flow river and floodplain functions and improving the health of wetlands and floodplains is the current focus of environmental watering in the Murrumbidgee valley.
In the year ahead, water managers aim to address the decline of wetland communities in the western Gingham and Lower Gwydir watercourses and Mallowa Creek watercourse.
Water managers in the Lachlan catchment plan to target floodplain-river connectivity, provide opportunities for the growth, reproduction and small-scale recruitment of various plants and animals and allow for natural wetting and drying cycles.
Water managers plan to improve wetland vegetation condition, provide feeding opportunities for waterbirds, support the recovery of native fish and the wetland food web and replenish groundwater systems in the Macquarie catchment.
In the year ahead, environmental water managers are proposing limited proactive watering for the Gwydir valley. Any early season flows that do occur will take advantage of cooler conditions aimed at stimulating productivity in the rivers before summer.
Water managers in the Lachlan valley plan to respond to natural inflows triggers to improve the health and resilience of water dependent ecosystems as dry conditions continue.
Maintaining and enhancing the resilience of core wetland assets is the focus of environmental water management in the Macquarie valley in the year ahead.
