Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks Program
This project was finalised on 30 June 2023. Funding applications will no longer be accepted
The NSW Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks Program provided landholders along priority reaches in the northern Murray-Darling basin funding assistance to undertake on-ground projects. The projects offered many benefits to the environment and primary production, with a key aim to minimise the impacts of livestock on riparian areas to improve water quality and native fish habitat.
The Program received strong interest from landholders across 2 expressions of interest rounds. The main projects undertaken involved:
- fence construction
- weed control
- off-stream stock watering points
- minor erosion control works
- revegetation and river re-snagging to contribute to a healthier river system.
In total, landholders signed up to construct 260 kilometres of fencing to protect around 13,000 hectares of riparian land and undertake around 2,000 hectares of weed and erosion control works.
Landholders showed great resilience and dedication to complete projects despite a number of significant challenges including major flooding, COVID-19 and a mouse plague. While it’s been a great effort by all involved, the Program fell short of its original target of constructing 500 kilometres of fencing which was announced when the Program commenced in 2021.
Acknowledgement
The NSW Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks Program was delivered by Local Land Services on behalf of the NSW Government under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, with funding from the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
For more information on the Program and the work Local Land Services do, call 1300 795 299, explore our website or complete an online enquiry form.