\n1. Lessons and Limitations<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
River restoration is a long-term challenge due to high levels of ongoing disturbance, river regulation (permanency of many dams, weirs and irrigation), high vulnerability to pest species and the many (often competing) demands upon a river (which are likely to increase with climate change and increased populations).<\/p>\n
Conversely, rivers link people and environments and as such, small but continuous improvements can have cumulative effects to increasingly achieve recovery.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
2. Rivers and Streams<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 3. Wetlands connected to rivers<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Freshwater ecosystems are rich in species and have high ecosystem productivity but are highly impacted by centuries of human utilisation. Efforts to rehabilitate rivers, streams and their associated wetlands are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"parent":619,"menu_order":11,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-683","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=683"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":723,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/683\/revisions\/723"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\nA range of funded projects over the decades have been conducted as joint Australian and State Government initiatives to improve the health of the River Murray and its wetlands and floodplains<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.mdba.gov.au\/basin\/plants-and-wildlife\/fish\/native-fish-recovery<\/a>ALSO SEE
\nRevitalising a Native Fish Strategy
\nhttps:\/\/emrprojects.wordpress.com\/2019\/09\/13\/recovering-murray-darling-basin-fishes-by-revitalizing-a-native-fish-strategy-update-of-emr-feature\/<\/a>
\n(Original article: Native Fish Strategy \u2013 first 10 years<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/j.1442-8903.2006.00307.x<\/a>
\nMore current fish passage restoration projects here
\nhttps:\/\/www.dpird.nsw.gov.au\/dpi\/fishing\/fish-passage-nsw\/fish-passage-projects<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n<\/strong>Managed by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and Arthur Rylah Institute, this large-scale project restored 4,450 structural woody habitats (snags) between Lake Hume and Lake Mulwala, leading to a threefold increase in native Murray Cod populations.
\nhttps:\/\/www.ari.vic.gov.au\/__data\/assets\/pdf_file\/0017\/37313\/Murray-River-resnagging-fact-sheet-2014.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/files\/2026\/10\/RESNAGGING-300x225.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/emrprojects.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/05\/dewfish-demonstration-reach-restoring-native-fish-populations-in-the-condamine-catchment\/<\/a>ALSO SEE
\nhttps:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/emr.12092\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/emrprojects.wordpress.com\/2014\/01\/25\/establishing-a-framework-for-developing-and-implementing-ecological-monitoring-and-evaluation-of-aquatic-rehabilitation-in-demonstration-reaches\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n<\/strong>Led by the Australian River Restoration Centre<\/a>, involves local landholders and communities to revegetate riparian zones, install stream fencing, and reconnect creeks across the Murrumbidgee, Lachlan, and Yass catchments. https:\/\/www.greeningaustralia.org.au\/rivers-of-carbon-mess-it-up-and-slow-it-down\/<\/a>ALSO SEE
\nhttps:\/\/riversofcarbon.org.au\/southern-riparian-linkages\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n<\/strong>A 10-year collaborative project between Amazon and the ARRC to repair a degraded section of the Coxs River, which provides drinking water for Greater Sydney.
\nhttps:\/\/arrc.au\/projects\/coxs-river-catchment<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n<\/strong>A $155 million investment program utilising engineering and adaptive management to restore natural flow variations, improve wetland health, and manage salinity along the River Murray.
\nhttps:\/\/www.landscape.sa.gov.au\/mr\/water\/river-murray\/restoration-programs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nA community-driven effort by the Derwent Catchment Project<\/a> removing invasive willows, stabilising riverbanks, and enhancing native fish habitats through a 10-year management plan.
\nhttps:\/\/derwentcatchment.org\/river-restoration\/<\/a>ALSO SEE
\nhttps:\/\/sfmau.com\/tyenna\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nThe program focuses on improving the health of private wetlands and ephemeral creeks that have become artificially isolated from natural flooding and no longer receive adequate water. The project was initiated by the Murray\u2013Darling Wetlands Working Group in 2001 and is now managed by the Department. Since that time, more than 65,000 megalitres of water for the environment has been delivered to over 200 wetlands and 280 kilometres of ephemeral creeks throughout the Murray Valley.
\nhttps:\/\/mdwwg.com.au<\/a>ALSO SEE
\nhttps:\/\/www.environment.nsw.gov.au\/topics\/water\/water-for-the-environment\/catchments\/murray-and-lower-darling\/private-wetland-watering<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.mdba.gov.au\/basin\/landscapes\/internationally-and-nationally-recognised-sites\/chowilla-floodplain-icon-site<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.mdba.gov.au\/water-use\/water-environment\/progress-and-outcomes-improving-system\/barmah-millewa-forest-report-card<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.mdba.gov.au\/water-use\/water-environment\/progress-and-outcomes-improving-system\/gunbower-forest-report-card-2022<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n<\/strong>https:\/\/minister.dcceew.gov.au\/wilson\/media-releases\/joint-media-release-new-15-million-commitment-accelerate-first-nations-restoration-and-protection-nsws-great-cumbung<\/a>ALSO SEE
\nhttps:\/\/www.natureaustralia.org.au\/newsroom\/great-cumbung-new-ownership\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n<\/strong>https:\/\/emrprojects.wordpress.com\/2026\/10\/02\/restoration-of-wirra-lo-conservation-reserve-victoria\/<\/a>ALSO SEE
\nhttps:\/\/www.aabr.org.au\/portfolio-items\/protecting-and-restoring-wirra-lo-wetlands\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/files\/2026\/10\/Aquatic-Herbland-Brolga-Swamp-swamp-lily-Dec-2019_50431-300x194.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"