Communities love their waterways, wetlands, and floodplain forests. That’s why locals are a vital part of water for environment planning across the North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) region.

Each year, the North Central CMA delivers Seasonal Watering Proposals to the Victorian Environmental Water Holder.

These proposals identify key priorities for the region for environmental flows in the coming financial year.

North Central CMA Environmental Water Program Manager Anna Parker said local communities help shape these priorities for the coming year.

“Community advisory groups, including Traditional Owners, help identify environmental values in each region and help monitor the success of environmental flows,” she said.

“Local communities make great use of their local rivers and wetlands, and they bring a wealth of cultural, economic, recreational, and social perspectives to the program.”]

The CMA recently completed 12 meetings in 10 days with community and technical advisory groups as part of the SWP process.

“These locals have put their hands up to understand as much as they can about the science of water for environment and how it contributes to their communities, and to provide valuable input into our programs,” Ms Parker said.

“They ask questions about what is working and why, and speak with ecologists and scientists about the impact the flows have on native plants and animals in the short and long term.“These face-to-face discussions are productive and well informed and are a great way to make sure any community concerns are addressed and included in our proposals and recommendations.”

The proposals make up part of VEWH’s statewide Seasonal Watering Plan, released by June 30 each year, listing the potential environmental flows that could occur during the year.
Click here to find out more about the Seasonal Watering Plan.