Long term goals – Lower Darling / Baaka region

Every year, we focus on meeting specific environmental demands in the lower Darling / Baaka River and Great Darling Anabranch. These priorities align to our broader environmental objectives for the region.

Environmental objectives in the lower Darling / Baaka region

Our longer-term goals in the lower Darling / Baaka region focus on supporting plants, wildlife, and water quality.

Native fish

Provide flows to support native fish habitat and food resources.

We also aim to help native fish by encouraging:

• spawning and movement
• growth in numbers
• general health and survival.

Plants

• Keep riverside and in-channel plants healthy.
• We also aim to help the growth of non-woody plants along the riverbanks.

Waterbirds

• Provide habitat and food for waterbirds to survive and grow.
• We also aim to keep waterbird species healthy and varied.

Invertebrates

Provide habitat to support the amount, diversity and health of:

• Macroinvertebrates – aquatic organisms without a backbone that you can see with the naked eye.
• Microinvertebrates – tiny organisms that you need a microscope to be able to see.

Other vertebrates

Help frogs and turtles survive by providing suitable habitat. We also aim to maintain their current health and provide recruitment opportunities.

Connectivity

Support:

• Longitudinal connections - the constant flow of water along the lower Darling / Baaka River and with the River Murray.
• Lateral connections - the link between the river and nearby wetlands and floodplains.
• Lateral connectivity between the channels of the lower Darling / Baaka and Great Darling Anabranch by using low-lying wetlands, where possible.
• Periodic connectivity through the Great Darling Anabranch to the River Murray.
• Connectivity between the wetlands in Kinchega National Park and the Menindee Lakes, where possible.

Processes, water quality and resilience

Support key ecosystem functions, including:

• plant growth and suitable levels of algae
• increased nutrient and carbon cycling
• movement of living things along the river and between the river and its floodplain
• good water quality.

We also aim to maintain drought refuge habitat and health of native fish and other aquatic animals.

About environmental objectives

Environmental goals in the lower Darling / Baaka region are based on:

• long-term environmental objectives in the Basin Plan
• the NSW Murray–Lower Darling Long-term Water Plan
• site management plans
• local ecological knowledge.

Environmental goals can change each year based on factors like:

• availability of water
• catchment conditions
• feasibility of operations
• demand for water.

We will keep updating these goals as part of our commitment to adaptive management.