Jane Howard

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A diverse group of 15 people standing outdoors on a dirt ground with trees in the background.
Macquarie River and Marshes
Cultural Outcomes
May 21, 2026

2026 Flow-MER Northern Basin Forum

Flow-MER Project members, water managers, Aboriginal people, and other environmental experts came together for two days in March for the 2026 Flow-MER Northern Murray-Darling Basin Forum in Dubbo.

Jane Howard
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Macquarie River and Marshes
Waterbirds
May 21, 2026

Final Macquarie Marshes waterbird survey for 2025-2026

Final waterbird survey for 2025-26 recorded 31 waterbird species across 18 sites, including vulnerable brolgas and white-bellied sea-eagles. The most numerous species recorded were grey teal (Anas gracilis), with about 2,500 birds recorded.

Jane Howard
Dr Jennifer Spencer
Vanessa Cain
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Two people wearing high-visibility shirts and waders standing waist-deep in water while handling a fishing net. Scene includes a partially submerged dead tree and other vegetation under a clear blue sky.
Lower Balonne
Native Fish
May 21, 2026

Narran Lakes fish surveys undertaken over the full flood cycle

Floods in 2024 and 2025 filled the Narran Lakes wetlands. In December 2025, the Lower Balonne Flow-MER team, led by Austral Research and Consulting, completed a third fish survey at Narran Lakes (Dharriwaa) which focused on the recession stage, when floodwaters began to recede.

Jane Howard
Patrick Pickett
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Lower Balonne
Cultural Outcomes
May 21, 2026

Caring for Country, together

For more than 65,000 years, Aboriginal people have held a deep connection to land and water. This knowledge has been built through care, observation and cultural practice. But for generations, they have been excluded from decisions about managing Country.

Jane Howard
Zoe Sands
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Macquarie River and Marshes
Communications and Engagement
January 30, 2026

Bringing research and landholders together in the Macquarie Marshes

Professor Richard Kingsford hosted local landholders in the Macquarie Marshes for a presentation and barbecue, creating an opportunity to share project updates and strengthen long-standing relationships central to the program’s success.

Jane Howard
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Macquarie River and Marshes
Native Fish
January 30, 2026

What tagging reveals about golden perch movement in the Macquarie River and Marshes

A major multi-year tracking project has revealed the scale and complexity of golden perch movement through the Wambuul–Macquarie River, its wetlands and floodplains, and the interconnected river systems of the northern Murray–Darling Basin.

Jane Howard
Jerom Stocks
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Macquarie River and Marshes
January 30, 2026

Turtle study on the move in Macquarie Marshes

New research in the Macquarie Marshes is tracking freshwater turtles to understand how they move in response to environmental water, helping inform where and when water is delivered to support wetland health.

Jane Howard
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Lower Balonne
Cultural Outcomes
January 30, 2026

Sharing Cultural knowledge from St George to Narran Lakes

A Flow-MER knowledge exchange journey from St George to Narran Lakes brought Rangers and water managers together with Elders to share cultural knowledge, learn from Country and strengthen understanding of environmental water outcomes.

Jane Howard
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Lower Balonne
Native Vegetation
January 28, 2026

What the first Flow-MER vegetation survey found in the Lower Balonne

The first Flow-MER vegetation survey in the Lower Balonne recorded more than 180 wetland plant species, revealing strong responses to recent wet years alongside signs of drying and fire recovery across the Narran Lakes floodplain.

Jane Howard
Rebekah Grieger
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Lower Balonne
Native Fish
January 27, 2026

Fish surveys at Narran Lakes reveal a system in transition

The first fish surveys at Narran Lakes since 2008 reveal a system responding unevenly to the return of water, with clear signs of recovery in some native species and continued absence in others.

Jane Howard
Dion Iervasi
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A person in a canoe from behind paddling through water with vegetation on top.
Lower Balonne
Waterbirds
November 24, 2025

First Narran Lakes waterbird survey for the 2025-2026 water year

Flow-MER waterbird ground surveys were conducted at 10 sites in the Dharriwaa – Narran Lakes Nature Reserve in August 2025, the first for the 2025-2026 water year.

Jane Howard
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Lake with mud, tree and submerged bench in the foreground.
Lower Balonne
Native Vegetation
November 24, 2025

Twenty years of Narran Lakes vegetation data

Vegetation survey data for Narran Lakes Nature Reserve, spanning 20 years (2004-2024), have recently been collated by the Griffith University Native Vegetation team, led by Dr Rebekah Grieger.

Jane Howard
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Artwork credit: Wiradjuri Artist Rebecca Salcole
Acknowledgement of Country

The Flow-MER Program team acknowledges the First Nations communities of the Murray–Darling Basin and pays respect to Elders past and present.

We acknowledge First Nations people as the Traditional Owners of the land, water and sky Country across the Basin and value the expertise, wisdom and enduring connections that have informed their care for Country over millennia.

We recognise the intrinsic connection of First Nations people to Country, and we value the enduring cultural, social, environmental, spiritual, and economic connection to the rivers, wetlands, and floodplains of the Basin. We are committed to working with First Nations people across the Murray–Darling Basin to build relationships in a meaningful and genuine way to support and empower them in reaching their aspirations.

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