- Author CRCNA and James Cook University research partners
- Publish date 23 May 2024
- Type Fact sheet
- Documents
- Water Security program
- Water
Summary
The Gilbert River catchment is one of the four nodes in the Water Security for Northern Australia program. The catchment holds environmental, cultural and economical values, which is mostly attributed to the river system and permanent waterholes throughout the catchment.
Projects
Water Security for Northern Australia program: Implementation phase
The Water Security for Northern Australia Program is a collaborative partnership between the CRCNA and the Northern Australia Universities Alliance (NAUA), delivering targeted research to support sustainable water resource development across northern Australia. Building on the co-design project that identified key challenges affecting water security, agricultural development and equitable water use across four focal nodes: the Gilbert catchment in north Queensland, Lower Fitzroy catchment in central Queensland, the Daly catchment in the Northern Territory, and the Ord River Irrigation Area in Western Australia. Through stakeholder-led co-design, 15 priority research projects were identified to address region-specific and cross-cutting challenges related to water availability, environmental management, agricultural productivity, supply chains and Indigenous access to water resources. These projects are grouped into four interconnected work packages spanning cross-regional research, water quality and environmental outcomes, water availability, cropping systems and alternative economic opportunities. The program is generating practical knowledge to improve water planning, development assessment and environmental management, while identifying opportunities to increase the economic value of water use across northern Australia. Research outcomes are intended to support more informed decision-making, reduce uncertainty and monitoring costs, improve water use efficiency, strengthen supply chain understanding and expand opportunities for Indigenous participation and benefit. Beyond the research itself, the program is building stronger connections between universities, industry, government, Traditional Owners and regional communities. This collaborative approach is helping to strengthen research capability, improve communication between stakeholder groups and support more effective, less contested water resource decision-making across northern Australia. Visit the Northern Australia Universities Alliance page: https://naua.edu.au/projects/water-security-alliance/
Water Security for Northern Australia program: Gilbert River catchment (NQ)
The Gilbert River catchment is one of four focal nodes within the Water Security for Northern Australia (WSNA) program and contains significant environmental, cultural and economic values linked to its river systems, floodplains and permanent waterholes. The catchment supports important ecosystems, tourism and agricultural opportunities, and the project is focused on improving understanding of these interconnected values to support informed and sustainable future development. This project is investigating the ecology, hydrology and cultural significance of the Gilbert River catchment through four integrated research areas. These include aquatic flora and fauna surveys, understanding the persistence and groundwater contribution to permanent waterholes, assessing ecosystem services in proposed development areas, and identifying Indigenous cultural values and opportunities for water-based enterprise development. Research activities include field surveys, environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling, water chemistry tracing, groundwater analysis and environmental monitoring across the catchment. The project is also working closely with landholders, Traditional Owners and Indigenous ranger groups to support two-way knowledge sharing and strengthen regional water planning. Researchers are examining how future agricultural development and water extraction may affect biodiversity, water quality, cultural values and ecosystem services, while also identifying opportunities for sustainable agricultural and Indigenous-led development within the catchment. By addressing key knowledge gaps and improving baseline environmental and cultural data, the project aims to support future water management, conservation planning and sustainable economic development across the Gilbert River catchment. Node contact: Assoc Prof Nathan Waltham TropWATER email: nathan.waltham@jcu.edu.au Visit TropWater for more information: https://www.tropwater.com/projects/sustainable-water-security-in-northern-australia Background: This Water Security for Northern Australia (WSNA) program is being delivered through a partnership between the CRCNA and the Northern Australia Universities Alliance. The WSNA program will develop and implement a series of research projects which address problematic issues which are constraining sustainable water resource utilisation in four key precincts or focal nodes across Northern Australia. These focal nodes are (Gilbert catchment (QLD), Daly River (NT), Ord River Irrigation Area (WA) and Lower Fitzroy catchment (QLD)). These focal nodes were selected by the CRCNA based on prior assessments and consultation indicating they are likely locations of further water resource development pressure. In order to develop such a series of research projects, it was first required that the relevant stakeholders in each focal node be engaged in a co-design process. The four focal nodes were developed through a 5-month engagement phase and now report to regional stakeholder advisory groups: Co-design phase of the Water Security for Northern Australia.