shown in Figure 1. All of these activities are have cultural values and plants associated important to rebuild and pass on knowledge with the Creation story. Every native plant that was lost due to dispossession. Healthy has a cultural purpose, for example for use marshes also leave a legacy for future as food, medicine, or for cultural practices generations through having a healthy and like basket weaving. Many native trees also biodiverse landscape. have cultural heritage value like canoe and scar trees, or can help protect the cultural heritage of certain sites. Trees that were inundated by the 2015 environmental flow in Little Bora Channel in the Macquarie Marshes (Kyra Evanochko, November 2015) the northern marshes river red gum woodlands showed improved condition. Aboriginal environmental outcomes — Monitoring after the flow also showed that 2015 water delivery floodplain vegetation was considered to be Between August and October 2015 around in good condition. 55 GL of environmental water was delivered to the northern and southern Macquarie Maintaining healthy waterbird populations is Marshes to maintain the resilience and avoid important to the Wayilwan community as the loss of permanent and semi-permanent they are connected to Wayilwan cultural wetlands in core refuge areas. identity through kinship lore. Over 40 species of waterbirds used the habitat that This watering aligned with the 2015–16 the 2015 watering event provided. They annual environmental watering priority to: included black swans, glossy ibis, Maintain semi-permanent wetland vegetation ibis, black-winged stilts, sharp-tailed in core refuge areas in the Macquarie sandpiper, Latham’s snipe and several duck Marshes. This priority focused on species. Australian painted snipe and maintaining semi-permanent wetland Australasian bitterns, both nationally vegetation as the forecast conditions for the threatened birds, were also observed. water year were dry, leading to low environmental water allocations in the The wetlands that were inundated provided Macquarie catchment. The water delivery important habitat for non-burrowing marsh targeted reed beds and inner floodplain river frog species to breed and tadpoles to red gums in the northern marshes, and develop, as well as food sources. The timing provided refuge habitat for waterbirds, fish and duration of the watering event allowed and frogs. eastern sign-bearing frogs and spotted marsh frogs to breed, as they are active in The enduring health of native vegetation in colder temperatures. The second the marshes is one of main concerns for the environmental flow pulse in October Wayilwan community, particularly plants that
shown in Figure 1. All of these activities are important to rebuild and pass on knowledge that was lost due to dispossession. Healthy marshes also leave a legacy for future generations through having a healthy and biodiverse landscape. Little Bora Channel in the Macquarie Marshes (Kyra Evanochko, November 2015) Aboriginal environmental outcomes — 2015 water delivery Between August and October 2015 around 55 GL of environmental water was delivered to the northern and southern Macquarie Marshes to maintain the resilience and avoid the loss of permanent and semi-permanent wetlands in core refuge areas. This watering aligned with the 2015–16 annual environmental watering priority to: Maintain semi-permanent wetland vegetation in core refuge areas in the Macquarie Marshes. This priority focused on maintaining semi-permanent wetland vegetation as the forecast conditions for the water year were dry, leading to low environmental water allocations in the Macquarie catchment. The water delivery targeted reed beds and inner floodplain river red gums in the northern marshes, and provided refuge habitat for waterbirds, fish and frogs. The enduring health of native vegetation in the marshes is one of main concerns for the Wayilwan community, particularly plants that have cultural values and plants associated with the Creation story. Every native plant has a cultural purpose, for example for use as food, medicine, or for cultural practices like basket weaving. Many native trees also have cultural heritage value like canoe and scar trees, or can help protect the cultural heritage of certain sites. Trees that were inundated by the 2015 environmental flow in the northern marshes river red gum woodlands showed improved condition. Monitoring after the flow also showed that floodplain vegetation was considered to be in good condition. Maintaining healthy waterbird populations is important to the Wayilwan community as they are connected to Wayilwan cultural identity through kinship lore. Over 40 species of waterbirds used the habitat that the 2015 watering event provided. They included black swans, glossy ibis, ibis, black-winged stilts, sharp-tailed sandpiper, Latham’s snipe and several duck species. Australian painted snipe and Australasian bitterns, both nationally threatened birds, were also observed. The wetlands that were inundated provided important habitat for non-burrowing marsh frog species to breed and tadpoles to develop, as well as food sources. The timing and duration of the watering event allowed eastern sign-bearing frogs and spotted marsh frogs to breed, as they are active in colder temperatures. The second environmental flow pulse in October