These reports are the product of the second year of the Flow-MER Basin-scale project, a three-year investment in monitoring, evaluation and research (MER) by the CEWO. They cover the evaluation for the 2020-21 environmental water year and for the period that monitoring of environmental water outcomes has been in place (2014–21).
The purpose of these reports is to evaluate the contribution of Commonwealth environmental water to the objectives outlined in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan 2012. The Basin-scale Synthesis report draws together the results of each ecological indicator that is monitored and evaluated to inform an integrated Basin-scale assessment of the outcomes of Commonwealth environmental water for 2020-21.
Basin-scale scientists have refined analytical models used in the evaluations. These models aim to assist in predicting the outcomes achieved in relation to Commonwealth environmental water. They have been built using standard monitoring data collected across seven key areas (Selected Areas) within the Basin over the seven year period, in order to maximise the confidence of detecting the effect of environmental watering and minimise the possibility that observations are confounded by other variables such as year to year variation in climate.
The 2020-21 report presents:
- An integrated Basin-scale evaluation – a summary of the achievements of Commonwealth environmental water under the four broad themes of the Basin Plan as defined by the CEWO Outcomes Framework;
- Contributions towards the achievement of Basin Plan objectives – progress towards these long-term goals in 2019–21; and
- Adaptive management – a summary of key “lessons learned”.
More information is available at: CEWO Flow-MER Project