Catchment and waterway management in Victoria In Victoria, there are ten catchment management regions (see Figure 5) and each has a catchment management authority to co-ordinate integrated management of land, water and biodiversity. Catchment management authorities also have specific responsibilities for waterway management (under the Water Act 1989), except in the Port Phillip and Westernport region where Melbourne Water have the waterway management responsibilities. MILDURA Robinvale Murrayville Ouyen Swan Hill Kerang Rainbow Kaniva Wimmera North Central St Arnaud Echuca Numurkah Shepparton BENALLA North East Edenhope HORSHAM Halls Gap Stawell BENDIGO Castlemaine Rushworth Goulburn Broken Alexandra Mansfield Omeo Glenelg Hopkins Ararat Daylesford & Bacchus Marysville Buchan Cann River Hamilton Marsh MELBOURNE Dandenong West Gippsland Bairnsdale Orbost Heywood Warrnambool Colac Port Campbell Warragul Moe Leongatha Foster TRARALGON Yarram Sale Figure 5: The ten catchment management regions in Victoria.
Management approach for waterways in Victoria The approach for managing waterways involves four key elements: recognising the importance of waterways with formal international, national and state significance implementing and maintaining onground works and managing environmental water in priority waterways fostering strong community partnerships using regulation (legislation and statutory processes). Implementing the management approach The management approach for waterways will be implemented through the ‘Victorian Waterway Management Program’. The Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) is primarily responsible for oversight of the Program and establishing the state policy framework for waterway management. Regional implementation of the Program is led by the waterway managers (that is, catchment management authorities and Melbourne Water in the metropolitan region). This Program is an eight-year adaptive management cycle (except for Melbourne Water who operate on a five-year cycle), where learning occurs at all stages and is used to update and improve the program in subsequent cycles. The Victorian Waterway Management Program (see Figure involves the following stages and components: Strategy and planning – statewide policy framework and targets, planning for waterway management through regional Waterway Strategies with priorities and regional targets. Implementation and monitoring – Government and other investment in regional priorities, implementation of priority management activities, monitoring of management activities (intervention monitoring) and long-term resource condition assessment. Evaluation and reporting – management reporting, resource condition reporting, program evaluation and improvement. Community participation and research and innovation occur across all parts of the Program. Evaluation and reporting Statewide waterway management policy and targets Intervention monitoring and resource condition assessment Community participation Research and innovation Regional waterway management planning, priority setting and targets Regional implementation Investment g
Chapter 12 – Wetlands For wetlands the Strategy will: comprehensively integrate the management of wetlands with the management of rivers and estuaries commit to maintaining the values of Ramsar sites (incorporating site management plans into the regional Waterway Strategies), monitoring their ecological character and providing clarity regarding the listing of new Ramsar sites commit to environmental watering of high value wetlands on the floodplains of regulated rivers, on a priority basis ensure public land managers and waterway managers work together more closely to manage wetlands in parks and reserves ensure that wetland biodiversity is integrated into landscape connectivity4 planning outline approaches for maintaining and improving connectivity4 between rivers and floodplain wetlands outline arrangements for improving the long-term security of wetlands on public land reserves in fragmented landscapes8 commit to providing assistance for landholders to improve the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands on private land outline the existing arrangements for mitigating risks to wetlands from irrigation drainage and provide for better protection of wetlands from rural drainage. Chapter 13 – Estuaries For estuaries the Strategy will: comprehensively integrate the management of estuaries with the management of rivers and wetlands clarify and formalise organisational responsibility for estuary entrance management improve strategic planning of management activities to maintain or improve the environmental condition of estuaries enhance knowledge to support improved estuary management strengthen programs to increase community awareness of, and involvement in, estuary management.