About the program

The Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin program is working to improve the ecology, knowledge and management of the Coorong.

The Coorong is a wetland of local, national and international importance, and one of the most significant waterbird habitats in the Murray-Darling system. Despite this, the condition of the Coorong has suffered long-term decline, which was further exacerbated during the Millennium Drought. The long-term accumulation of salt and nutrients, combined with low annual water levels through late spring and summer, have meant that the region has not been able to recover to a healthy state.

Restoring a healthy Coorong is critical for the environment, First Nations, local communities, the South Australian tourism industry, the overall health of the Murray-Darling Basin and the success of the Basin Plan. In recognition of this, the Government of South Australia announced the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin (HCHB) program in December 2018, as a commitment to restoring a healthy Coorong.

Background

The Coorong Summit

Recognising the importance of work to restore a healthy Coorong be based on the latest science, as well as the experience and knowledge of Traditional Owners and the local community, we convened a group of scientists, community leaders, traditional owners and water managers for the Coorong Summit that, along with the Goyder Expert Panel, collectively brainstormed solutions for the Coorong.

The Coorong Summit Summary Report and the Goyder Expert Panel Report were published in November 2018, and recommended a series of short, medium and long-term actions to restore the Coorong, including:

• establishing refuge wetlands for migratory waterbirds while the South Lagoon is recovering
• optimising the benefits of water from the River Murray, Southern Ocean and the Upper South East
• managing nutrients to control algae growth
• determining the risks posed by climate change and mitigation needed

Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin Action Plan

Informed by the recommendations of the Coorong Summit, in 2019 the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin Action Plan was released, which outlined the short, medium and long-term actions required from the program to get the Coorong back on track for a healthy future. The Action Plan presented a working vision to help restore the Coorong’s health, characterised by healthy vegetation with abundant and diverse populations of waterbirds, fish and plants.

The Action Plan guided the first phase of the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin program though projects like on-ground works, water resource optimisation, Coorong Infrastructure Investigations and Scientific Trials and Investigations.

State of the Coorong

The State of the Coorong discussion paper seeks to build a shared high-level understanding of the existing and emerging knowledge of the Coorong to guide current and future restoration and adaptive management, with a focus on the southern Coorong. Originally published in 2021 and updated in 2024, it draws on the results of detailed investigations, including hydrodynamic modelling, nutrient cycling, aquatic plants, macroinvertebrates, fish, waterbirds, climate change and First Nations research. The discussion paper serves as a useful introduction and rationale for the long-term management options that are being explored through Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin.

Coorong Restoration Roadmap

Guided by the International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration, the Coorong Restoration Roadmap, released in 2024, sets out key processes and principles to restore the Coorong from its current state. It will guide the development of an integrated restoration program to improve ecological function, and support the ecological character of the site.

The Roadmap represents a natural evolution of the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin Action Plan, which guided the first phase of the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin program though projects like on-ground works, water resource optimisation, and Scientific Trials and Investigations.

By utilising the latest scientific findings and by partnering with scientists, communities and First Nations, the Roadmap presents how the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin program will implement strategic and adaptive restoration actions for the Coorong, through the next phase of the program and beyond.

Complementary actions

Works completed under the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin program to date are complementary to other activities and research carried out throughout the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region, which include:

• Environmental water requirements for the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth
• Ecological and water monitoring through the Living Murray initiative
• Water level management to develop a barrage and water level management policy, and a barrage operating strategy
• Ruppia seed collection and translocation
• Ecological monitoring through the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Recovery project

Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin is jointly funded by the Australian Government and the Government of South Australia.