The following can be attributed to Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, Dr Simon Banks:
For more than a decade, environmental water recovery in Australia has been guided by a simple but powerful idea: return water to rivers and wetlands, and ecosystems will recover. This principle remains fundamental. Environmental flows reconnect wetlands, support native fish and waterbird populations and sustain the natural landscapes that define the Murray-Darling Basin.
But experience has taught us something equally important: water alone is not always enough.
As stewards of Commonwealth environmental water on behalf of all Australians, we at the CEWH have seen firsthand that achieving lasting ecological outcomes often depends on more than delivering the right volume of water at the right time. Rivers and wetlands are complex, evolving systems. They face pressures from invasive species, altered river channels, barriers to fish movement, degraded habitat and changing climate conditions.
At the same time, it’s important to recognise that the CEWH has practical tools to respond to this complexity. One of those is water trade – a legitimate and well-established management tool that allows us to optimise the use of Commonwealth environmental water for environmental benefit. Trade is not just something we consider after other environmental outcomes have been met. Through the careful, transparent sale of annual water allocations, we can generate funding that is reinvested into improving ecological outcomes.
That is why we are increasingly focused on complementing environmental flows with targeted, on-ground actions through our Environmental Activities Program.
The limits of flow alone
Environmental water plays a critical role in ecosystem recovery. It can restore nature’s hydrological patterns, reconnect key habitats, and sustain ecosystems during dry periods. But in many areas, the natural systems we are trying to support have been fundamentally altered.
For example:
- floodplains may no longer inundate effectively due to changed landscape conditions from the construction of levees, roads and other earthworks.
- native fish may be unable to migrate to access breeding habitat because of barriers like weirs and regulators.
- rivers and wetlands may be dominated by invasive plants that reduce biodiversity.
- water delivered to a site may not translate into ecological benefits without complementary habitat management.
In these cases, water is still essential, but it must be paired with other interventions to achieve the outcomes envisaged by water management reform.
The Environmental Activities Program: unlocking greater outcomes
To maximise environmental outcomes, the CEWH’s Environmental Activities Program has been designed to support complementary activities that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of environmental watering.
This program is supported by the proceeds from water trade. We can deliver greater environmental benefit by using trade strategically, converting a portion of our portfolio into targeted investment that improves how ecosystems respond to water over the long-term.
This presents a clear opportunity to improve environmental outcomes: to ensure that every drop of environmental water delivers the maximum possible ecological return.
Practical actions on the ground
Through partnerships with state agencies, local landholders, natural resource managers and First Nations people, the program can support a range of practical, targeted actions, including:
Water delivery improvements
- Enhancing water infrastructure to enable or improve environmental water delivery
- Improving connectivity, inundation and habitat outcomes
Fish passage improvements
- Removing or modifying barriers to reconnect rivers and allow native fish to breed and migrate
Exclusion screens
- Installing exclusion screens on pumps, channels or offtakes to reduce loss of native fish and other aquatic species
- Limiting carp, pest plants and other threats that limit ecological recovery
Habitat improvements
- Improving instream, wetland and riparian habitat to support threatened species and improve outcomes from environmental water delivery
Meaningful First Nations involvement
- First Nations-led projects that support improving environmental outcomes from Commonwealth environmental water.
Environmental activities play a key role in delivering real, lasting ecological change. They can be the difference between small improvements and much stronger outcomes for the rivers and wetlands of the Murray-Darling Basin.
Importantly, the Environmental Activities Program is not about replacing environmental water – it is about amplifying its impact. It helps us achieve more with what we have.
This is particularly critical as climate change intensifies pressure on water availability. We must ensure that environmental water achieves the greatest possible benefit under increasingly constrained conditions.
Partnerships at the heart of success
Success depends on collaboration.
The CEWH is not solely responsible for the landscapes we water. We rely on relationships – with Basin states, regional organisations, landholders, scientists, and First Nations people – to deliver outcomes on the ground. Environmental Activities deepen these partnerships by aligning shared goals and enabling practical, place-based solutions informed by science, lived experience and local know-how.
Traditional ecological knowledge offers invaluable insights into how water and landscapes interact. By working together, we can design interventions that respect cultural values while improving environmental health.
A shift in mindset
Moving beyond “just add water” requires a shift in how we think about environmental management. It means recognising that:
- water is a catalyst, not a cure-all
- ecological recovery is an active process that takes time, not a passive one
- strategic investment in Environmental Activities can multiply outcomes
- long-term resilience depends on integrated approaches.
This is not about doing more for the sake of it – it is about doing what works.
Looking ahead
The Basin Plan set an ambitious goal: to restore the health of our rivers and wetlands while supporting communities and industries. Environmental water has been central to achieving that goal – and will continue to be.
The next phase of this work is about refinement and optimisation. It is about ensuring that environmental water is used in the smartest, most effective way possible.
The CEWH’s Environmental Activities Program, supported by strategic water trade, represents a practical, forward-looking step in that direction. It offers an opportunity to align water delivery with on-ground action, to strengthen partnerships, bring together science and to deliver outcomes that are greater than the sum of their parts.
Because in today’s Basin, success is not measured by how much water we deliver, but by what that water achieves.
For the CEWH to achieve the best outcomes for our rivers, wetlands and communities, we must be prepared to go beyond simply adding water.
Transcript
Simon BANKS
I am Simon Banks, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.
For more than a decade, we’ve worked with a relatively simple but powerful idea… that if we return water to our rivers and wetlands, our freshwater ecosystems will recover. And we’ve seen that happen.
Environmental water reconnects rivers to wetlands… supports native fish breeding… supports waterbird nesting… supports threatened species recovery… restores habitat supporting the full lifecycles of so many important plants and animals… and sustains the landscapes that define the Murray-Darling Basin. But over time, we’ve also learned something important. Water alone… is not always enough.
Our rivers today are complex, and in many places, they’re highly modified. They’re dealing with barriers to fish movement, degraded habitats… and of course, a changing climate. So even when we deliver the right amount of water, at the right time… we don’t always get the outcomes we’re aiming for. That’s why we’ve had to think differently.
At the CEWH, we’re focusing on doing more than just adding water. We’re pairing environmental flows with practical, on-ground actions- through what we call our Environmental Activities Program. Because in many cases, environmental water needs a helping hand.
Think about it: A floodplain might not inundate properly anymore. Fish might not be able to reach breeding habitat. Wetlands can be overtaken by invasive plants. In these situations, water is still essential… but it won’t deliver its full benefit on its own.
Importantly, we have the tools to respond. One of those is water trade-a legitimate, carefully governed part of how we manage the portfolio of environmental water. Now, this is really essential to note. Trading isn’t an end in itself. It’s a way of maximising environmental outcomes. When we trade water strategically, we can generate funding – and reinvest that directly into environmental outcomes… through our environmental activities program.
That funding supports practical work on the ground: Restoring habitats… Supporting threatened species recovery… Improving fish passage… Protecting critical drought refuges… And creating meaningful opportunities for First Nations people to connect with and care for Country. These actions might not always be as visible as water flowing down a river – but they are often the difference between modest, incremental gains… and real, lasting change.
This is very much a partnership effort. We work closely with Basin states, landholders, scientists, regional communities, and First Nations people – because we know we can’t do this alone. And we know that bringing together science, local knowledge, and Traditional ecological wisdom… leads to better outcomes.
For me, this is about valuing every drop of water we manage. Water is precious. And as climate pressures increase, that becomes even more true. So we have a responsibility… to use it as effectively as we can.
That means recognising that water is not a cure-all. It’s a catalyst. Real recovery takes active intervention. It takes smart investment. And it takes a willingness to look at the system as a whole.
The Basin Plan set an ambitious vision: healthier rivers and wetlands that continue to support communities and industries. Environmental water has been central to that journey. But the next step… is about doing it better. Better targeted. Better supported. And delivering outcomes that go beyond what water can achieve on its own.
Because today, success isn’t just about how much water we deliver… It’s about what that water achieves. And to achieve the best outcomes for our rivers, our wetlands, and our communities… we need to optimise our management of the Commonwealth’s portfolio of environmental water.
