Expanding on the Demonstration Reach work undertaken under the NFS (2003), the Recovery Reach program has been established as the mechanism for getting communities involved in contributing to implementing the Native Fish Recovery Strategy and achieving recovery outcomes. The program aims to coordinate on-ground actions in designated areas, such as those with high ecological value or where interventions are likely to have benefits for native fish recovery at scales suitable to achieve Basin-significant outcomes. Actions that promote the recovery of native fish and mitigate threats have been identified for each Recovery Reach, adopting techniques and technology informed by best available knowledge, including both Traditional Ecological Knowledge and science, and tailored to local needs.
While ambitious, it is widely recognised that the scale of recovery actions needs to be large in order to achieve significant recovery for native fish. Some Recovery Reaches may cross jurisdictional and catchment boundaries to address issues and achieve outcomes at the appropriate scales. The Recovery Reach program will serve as a model for community-led development of Regional Recovery Plans. These plans provide a more detailed view of native fish population status, threats and impacts within a region, with guidance for their development provided by Local Recovery Coordinators. They will be the basis for considering which impacts (and underlying threats) are ‘critical’ at local scales – so that other fish recovery actions have the best chance of success. Community leadership for the plans demonstrate local, regional and Basin-wide benefits; and make co-investment more desirable.
The map below shows the location of each recovery reach.
