Freshwater systems provide economic and environmental services crucial to all life and well-being. Australia is the driest inhabited continent and its rainfall and stream flow is the most variable in the world. The largest river system is that comprising the Murray and Darling Rivers in south-east Australia, but in less than one day, the Amazon carries the equivalent of the Murray's annual flow. The National Water Initiative (NWI) of June 2004, is a comprehensive Australian Government strategy to improve water management across the country. In particular, the NWI will result in a permanent trade in water to flexibly recover water for environmental outcomes and a firm commitment to address, with affected stakeholders, over-allocated water systems, as quickly as possible. Australia supports the CBD's work on inland waters biodiversity in conjunction with its obligations under the Ramsar Convention, to which it is party.
Australian Government
State and territory governments
- South Australia Environment/Inland Waters, environment reporting
- South Australia Environment Protection Authority
- South Australia Natural Resource Management
- South Australia Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation
- South Australia Environmental Flows for the River Murray
- South Australia Ramsar Wetlands
- Parks Victoria, Ramsar Wetlands
- Victorian Parks and Reserves/Wetlands - Ramsar Wetlands
- Victorian Primary Industries
- Victorian Wetlands
- Victorian Water Environments
- Queensland State of the Environment 2003/Inland Waters
- Queensland Natural Resources and Mines
- Sydney Catchment Authority, Dams and Water: Environmental Flows
- New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Service, Ramsar Wetlands
- New South Wales Primary Industries/Agriculture, WaterWise on the Farm (Irrigation)
- New South Wales Environment Protection Authority, Water
- New South Wales Catchment Management Authorities
- New South Wales Primary Industries, Inland Water
- New South Wales Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources, NSW NRM Reform
- Australian Freshwater Algae
- West Australia Conservation and Land Management, Australian Ramsar Wetland Sites
- West Australia Natural Resource Management Council
- Tasmanian Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Ramsar Wetlands
- Tasmanian Primary Industries, Water and Environment. See Water, and Natural Environment/Managing Our Natural Resources
- Tasmanian Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Environmental Flow Assessments
- Tasmanian Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Water
Research organisations
Non-government organisations
International links
See also Thematic issue 2: Dry and sub-humid lands biodiversity
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