Water dependant fauna Environmental Outcomes Monitoring and Research Program 2022-2024

Abstract

It is important we know how and why water-dependent fauna respond to changes in the amount of water in our rivers. This information allows the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the department) to consider and protect the needs of animals living in our rivers when we make resource management decisions and develop plans to share water between people and the environment. Water-dependent animals such as platypus, fish, waterbirds, turtles, frogs and invertebrates rely on healthy surface water environments to survive and thrive. An important aspect of sustainably managing these environments is understanding which river flows are critical for different animals. For example, some species of fish require increased river flows to trigger breeding, while many frog species require flowing water to breed and grow to maturity. We need to understand these various needs to address them in our water management plan.