CLLMM Recovery Project

Vegetation restoration

In one of Australia’s largest ever revegetation programs:

• 4.6 million native plants were planted at 72 sites covering 975 hectares, in a unique partnership between the community and the government; this created habitat for native animals, tackled acidification by adding carbon to the soil, stabilised soils, and reduced shoreline erosion
• more than 60 kilometres of fencing was erected to protect lakeshore and other important areas
• more than 1.1 million sedges were planted to improve habitat connection between land and water
• pest plants and animals were controlled over more than 6000 hectares
• Aboriginal heritage was protected looking after the cultural significance of the region
• research and monitoring were carried out to better understand the changes in the region and guide the recovery work.

The plantings are now helping the region to be more resilient and better adapted to changing water levels in the future.

The community coordinated a network of nurseries to grow native plant, planting 1.3 million plants. The Ngarrindjeri planted another 390,000 and commercial planting saw 3.4 million more. Sites included the Coorong National Park, local council reserves, and private properties. The network also provided volunteer opportunities, helping build skills and knowledge and support future employment in the region.

• Read our Vegetation program fact sheet

Ngarrindjeri partnership

A close working partnership with the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority (NRA) meant the CLLMM Recovery Project was co-designed with Ngarrindjeri Traditional Owners. This partnership was a key outcome of the Kungun Ngarrindjeri Yunnan Agreement (access it here) between the SA Government and the NRA.

Via the partnership, Ngarrinderi people worked across CLLMM Recovery Program management actions, and:

• supported core capacity within the NRA to ensure traditional knowledge, skills, and cultural values were preserved and incorporated into site management
• supported Ngarrindjeri people to participate in aspects of environmental governance in the region
• protected Ngarrindjeri cultural values of the CLLMM site
• provided funding for Ngarrindjeri training and involvement in on-ground activities.

The CLLMM Ngarrindjeri Partnerships Project has supported the NRA to establish the Ngarrindjeri Yarluwar-Ruwe Program (NY-RP), a mechanism to support long-term Ngarrindjeri aspirations and partnerships in natural and cultural resource management.

Water flows and levels

Investigations were undertaken to determine the water for the environment requirements of the region, that is, how much water is needed to secure a healthy and resilient future for the CLLMM region.

The investigations indicated that a range of flows, rather than a fixed volume of water, should be delivered to the region from year to year.

The proposed range of flows sought to ensure that:

• the River Murray flows out to sea every year, without the need for dredging to keep the Murray Mouth open
• sufficient water flows over the barrages to export salt and maintain salinity in the Lower Lakes below 1000 EC 95% of the time
• water levels in the lakes vary seasonally and between years
• higher flows are delivered as often as historically, to keep the south lagoon of the Coorong in a healthy state.

Related information:

• A freshwater future for the Lower Lakes - fact sheet
• A Fresh History of the Lakes: Wellington to the Murray Mouth, 1800s to 1935
• A triangular grid finite-difference model for wind-induced circulation in shallow lakes
• Murray-Darling Basin Sustainable Yields project

Acid sulfate soils

The Acid Sulfate Soils Program:

• used bioremediation – planting vegetation by, for example, seeding lakebeds to increase organic matter – to reverse the acidity
• neutralised acidified soil and water over 20,000 hectares through limestone dosing.

Ecological monitoring

Ecological monitoring in the CLLMM resulted in:

• more than 35,000 records generated for the SA species database
• a baseline from which to track recovery, such as defining the water levels and water quality needed to protect key species
• an understanding of how and why the site is internationally important, and what we need to do to keep it that way.

Pests and weeds

As part of the pest and weed program in the CLLMM region:

• 10 priority pest and weed species and 24 priority habitats were identified and treated
• pests and weeds were controlled over more than 6000 hectares
• key invasion sites were spatially mapped and pests were removed from significant habitats, roadsides, revegetation areas and shack sites in conservation areas
• the presence of priority pest and weed species were mapped and monitored to ensure control measures were working.