The second round of regional community forums saw more than 80 participants connect virtually to contribute to discussions focused on condition monitoring across the Murray–Darling Basin. The forum members heard how the MDBA is progressing monitoring of the Basin and how community input is being used to shape future efforts.
Key monitoring themes important to the community that are emerging from the forums are:
- connectivity and communication across the Basin are crucial
- some of the things that are hardest to measure, are often the most important
- new monitoring must complement what is already underway
- need to continue monitoring and reporting on community and environmental benefits and impacts
- climate change needs to be kept at the forefront of conversations
- First Nations science and knowledge needs to be integrated into decision making
- citizen science can be an extremely powerful tool now and for future investment in the Basin.
The forums create another important link between the MDBA and the community and provide the opportunity for connections beyond the forums to share knowledge and information. The information gathered from these forums will be used to develop a range of monitoring indicators to help give a better signal of the social, cultural, economic, and environmental health of the Basin.
The third round of forums is expected to be held in late November and early December 2021. If you would like more information on the outcomes of the forums or would like to be part of your local forum, email engagement@mdba.gov.au.
