> River Murray > Improving river health > Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth

Community involvement

An essential part of developing the long-term plan to secure a healthy future for the region was consultation with the community, through working closely with people living in the region, extensive discussions with the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority, and through the Long-Term Plan Reference Group.

Community involvement in planning and delivering projects outlined in the long-term plan is vital to ensure a sustainable future for the region, and there are a number of opportunities for the community to take part.

See our fact sheet on the numerous ways the community is involved.

Community organisations are helping to conserve, rehabilitate and restore the wetlands by:

setting up community nurseries to propagate plants for local vegetation programs
working on vegetation planting to tackle acid sulfate soils
monitoring acid sulfate soils and water quality
fencing to protect the lakes' shorelines
educating local people about acid sulfate soils and the role of plants in bioremediation.

How to get involved

There are a number of ways to play an important part in securing a healthy, sustainable future for the region:

contact the Lakes Hub in Milang or Meningie to get involved in environmental projects in the region via email or:
- Milang: phone (08) 8537 0808 or visit: Shop 2, 10 Daranda Terrace, Milang
- Meningie: phone (08) 8575 1830 or visit: 49 Princes Highway, Meningie
keep up to date with our latest news.

Consultation on water management in the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth

The experience and knowledge of community members and scientists is critical to guiding water management in the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLMM).

A Community Advisory Panel (CAP) and Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) have been meeting regularly since the mid 2000s to provide advice on barrage operations, water level management and the wise use of water for the environment in the CLLMM region.

CAP members represent a wide range of industries, geographical regions and organisations, while SAG scientists represent a wide range of research organisations and ecological expertise. Many of the SAG scientists actively collect and analyse data in the Coorong or Lower Lakes.

While the role of the groups is primarily to provide advice to the Department for Environment and Water on water management in the region, other agencies such as the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and Murray-Darling Basin Authority regularly consult with the groups on basin-scale issues too.

CLLMM Community Advisory Panel members
Mr Chris Bagley
Ms Julie Barrie (Chair)
Ms Di Davidson (Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board)
Mr Geoff Gallasch
Mr David Greenhough (Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board)
Mr Paul Harvey
Mr Garry Hera-Singh
Ms Lorraine Leese
Mr Clem Mason
Mr Bill Paterson OAM
Ms Melissa Rebbeck
Mr Bill Wilson (Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation)

CLLMM Scientific Advisory Group members
Dr Chris Bice (SARDI Aquatic Sciences)
Associate Professor Sabine Dittmann (Flinders University)
Mr Sam Hardy (Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board)
Mr Tony Herbert (DEW)
Ms Sue Hutchings (DEW, chair)
Dr Luke Mosley (The University of Adelaide)
Dr Kerri Muller
Dr Jason Nicol (SARDI Aquatic Sciences)
Mr David Palmer (EPA)
Dr Rebecca Quin (DEW)
Dr Dan Rogers (DEW)
Ms Claire Sims (DEW)
Dr Scotte Wedderburn (The University of Adelaide)
Associate Professor Qifeng Ye (SARDI Aquatic Sciences)
Dr Brenton Zampatti (CSIRO)