Understanding the environmental co-benefits of irrigation water in the northern Murray-Darling Basin

This project will investigate the ecological outcomes of water delivered for irrigation to watercourses in the northern Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). Effects of irrigation water are not currently considered in existing environmental accounting or monitoring and evaluation frameworks for this region. Consequently, possible ecological benefits of irrigation flows are poorly understood. Additionally, environmental watering in the northern Basin mainly targets wetlands, rarely considering responses to water delivery in and adjacent to the watercourses via which these flows are delivered. This project will utilise a range of research methods, including field surveys, experiments and modelling, to document, understand and predict ecological outcomes of irrigation flows in the northern MDB over multiple scales to inform better environmental reporting as well as improved design, management and monitoring of both irrigation and environmental flows.