Partnering with Aboriginal peoples
Water for Country is environmental water use planned by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Aboriginal people to achieve shared benefits for the environment and cultural places, values and/or interests.
In 2025–26, we will partner with Aboriginal peoples and organisations in the Gwydir catchment. This work will include supporting culturally important sites and ecosystems. For example:
- delivering water to sites along Gingham Watercourse
- delivering water to Whittaker’s Lagoon
- supporting wetland vegetation communities, including those dominated by marsh-club-rush and cumbungii
- providing flows to benefit native fish in the catchment including Mehi River
- working with the Bagaaybidi Group to help inform water management and the Reconnecting Watercourse Country Program.
Key planned actions
Native fish
The Gwydir River’s native fish community is in a poor state of health. Environmental water managers will use up to 25 gigalitres to maintain and improve the health and resilience of native fish. Flow events for native fish outcomes will directly target Mehi River. The exact flows will be determined through the season and will depend on environmental conditions. Other flow events will be delivered where possible to support native fish.
Waterbirds
Australian waterbird populations are in long-term decline. Up to 35 gigalitres will be delivered to support waterbird habitat, which provides food, shelter and places to breed for waterbird populations.
Heavy catchment rainfall, resulting in large river flows and floodplain flooding, may trigger waterbird breeding events in the wetland systems. In response, 15–25 gigalitres of held water for the environment may be provided to support these events.
Vegetation
Vegetation communities will also benefit from the water allocated to support waterbird populations. An additional 10 gigalitres may be used to support wetland vegetation. Rainfall may trigger the delivery of held environmental water in the Mehi River and/or Carole Creek to support instream and riparian vegetation.
Flows will be provided to the Gwydir wetlands system including Gingham, Lower Gwydir and Mallowa watercourses to maintain or improve the condition of wetland vegetation communities, such as the threatened ecological community of semi-permanent marsh club-rush. Other species, including flat spike rush and tussock rush, and other more permanent vegetation such as lignum shrublands and river cooba woodlands, will also benefit.
Connectivity
In 2025–26, lateral and longitudinal inter- and intra-catchment connectivity will be supported when and where possible. Intra-catchment lateral connectivity is likely to occur through other key watering actions into wetlands and some floodplain targets. Intra-catchment longitudinal connectivity will be supported when opportunities arise to meet basic ecological needs, particularly targeting watercourse to wetland connectivity. Inter-catchment connectivity will be made when and where opportunities arise in the Barwon River if conditions allow, or specific needs arise during the water year.
Proposed annual priority targets in the Gwydir water resource plan area
For more information, go to our Annual environmental watering priorities 2025–26 webpage, which includes each catchment’s resource availability scenario and expected volumes of environmental water available.
