Coorong Freshwater Soaks project
The health of freshwater soaks along the Younghusband Peninsula is the focus of a collaborative study commissioned by the Department for Environment and Water as part of the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin program.
Background
A soak, or soakage, is a source of water often stored below ground, sometimes as part of an ephemeral river or creek. The name ‘soak’ refers to the way water seeps into the sand.
Many freshwater soaks exist throughout the Younghusband Peninsula and provide a critical source of fresh water for Coorong fauna like kangaroos, emus and other coastal and woodland bird species.
Project objective
Ngarrindjeri and First Nations of the South East are the Traditional Owners of the Coorong and have maintained soaks and groundwater upwellings in the Coorong region for thousands of years. Caring for the health and wellbeing of these soaks is an incredibly important part of First Nations obligations in caring for Country.
Freshwater soaks are a crucial resource for native wildlife in the Coorong region and several native species, including swamp wallabies, common wombats, emus, spotted marsh frogs and herons. Unfortunately, these soaks also attract the attention of introduced species like feral cats and fallow deer, highlighting one of the many ecological challenges facing the region.
Led by Traditional Owners of the Coorong region, Ngarrindjeri and First Nations of the South East, the Coorong Freshwater Soaks project addresses critical knowledge gaps in the condition and status of the region’s freshwater soaks.
What we learnt
Incorporating scientific knowledge from research undertaken in the early 1980s and 2000s, the project combines a mix of desktop literature reviews, cultural assessments, citizen science, and ecological and geohydrological evaluations to assess the current state of Coorong freshwater soaks.
With a strong focus on integrating First Nation’s knowledge with contemporary scientific methods, project workshops and field studies facilitated a rich exchange of cultural insights and values. The project also builds on knowledge gained through the Ngarrindjeri Knowledge Research project, which was conducted by the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation during the HCHB Trials and Investigations project (2019-22).
Knowledge gained through this project will be critical in informing the ongoing management of ecological and culturally significant features of the Coorong region. Additionally, the Coorong Freshwater Soaks project is providing a framework for future collaborative research projects to support the ongoing management of the Coorong.
Acknowledgements
The Coorong Freshwater Soaks project was led by Traditional Owners of the Coorong region, Ngarrindjeri and First Nations of the South East, and developed in collaboration with the Department for Environment and Water’s Aboriginal Partnerships team and Freshwater, River Murray and Coorong Science team. The Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board and groundwater researchers from Flinders University provided monitoring and research support.
The study was delivered as part of a wider monitoring program, investigating the environmental impacts of the 2022-23 River Murray flood on critical Murray-Darling Basin ecosystems, including the Coorong and Lower Lakes region.
