Water Overview
Safeguarding Tasmania’s Vital Water Resources
The Water Theme highlights Tasmania’s key water assets, such as rivers, estuaries, wetlands, waterbodies, and coastal and marine systems, which support vital industries like agriculture, fishing, and aquaculture. These water resources also sustain essential infrastructure, including hydro-electric power, drinking water supply, wastewater treatment, and ports. However, climate change, development, land use changes, and ageing infrastructure are increasing pressure on these assets.
Emerging threats like drought, bushfires, and floods present ongoing challenges in water resource management. Effective protection and management of these resources are closely tied to land and biodiversity management, with actions across all Themes, including soil and erosion control and the conservation of aquatic species and riparian vegetation, contributing to the health of Tasmania’s water systems.
Rivers, Floodplains and Estuaries
The movement of fresh surface and groundwater through the landscape sustains ecological, economic, and social values, with the ecological importance of catchments and estuaries, along with current and emerging threats, informing the identification of priorities and actions for rivers, floodplains, and estuaries.
Wetlands and other Waterbodies
Wetlands and other waterbodies, including internationally recognised Ramsar wetlands, support high-value ecological communities and are acknowledged for their conservation value at national and regional levels.
Coastal and Marine Areas
Current NRM Water Projects & Initiatives
Maugean Skate Recovery – Healthy Harbour Project
This project will deliver urgent recovery actions required to reduce the Maugean Skate (Zearaja maugeana) extinction risk. The Healthy Harbour project team will continue to collaborate with the Strahan and West Coast communities to improve public understanding and...
Celebrating the coastal wetlands of Circular Head
This project aims to showcase the unique beauty of the Robbins Passage – Boullanger Bay tidal wetlands while highlighting the immense ecological, economic and social value of this place for the Circular Head community and further afield. The project builds on years of...