Sustainable Rivers Audit Program: A six year working program for the design and implementation of the Sustainable Rivers Audit

Abstract

The proposal for a Sustainable Rivers Audit arose from recognising the need for a comprehensive, Basin-wide monitoring program to provide vital information on the overall health status of the Murray, the Darling and their major tributaries. It proposes a surveillance monitoring program to complement investigative programs already targeting specific areas and components of river health within the Basin. Without such a program we have no idea whether our collective actions to address river health objectives are providing the outcomes we seek and whether they justify major investment in natural resource management initiatives within the Basin. Importantly, the results of this monitoring will be audited on an annual basis by an independent group of eminent ecologists - the Independent Sustainable Rivers Audit Group (ISRAG). ISRAG's report to the Commission and the Ministerial Council will provide crucial advice on the health of each of the 23 river valleys in the Basin.