Rivers play a vital role in the economy, ecology and social fabric of Victoria.

They provide clean water, food, fibre, energy and many other benefits that support economies and livelihoods across the state. Healthy river systems contribute to:

• high quality water for homes, farms and businesses
• a healthier environment in which to live, relax, swim and work
• an attractive and enjoyable destination for tourists, families and industries
• recreational, tourism and commercial fishing opportunities
• natural processes for breaking down sewage and agricultural runoff
• reduced need for pesticides by supporting insect-eating waterbirds such as ibis.

Victoria’s rivers have a significant economic contribution to regional communities. For example, they provide $368 million a year in benefits as a source of recreational activity, such as fishing, water sports, streamside camping and picnicking. In addition, the value of the states tourist sector and fishing expenditure that is dependent on rivers has been estimated at $533 million[1] a year.

Yet their environmental values are equally valuable. River systems are diverse and complex ecosystems in their own right, sustaining diverse species of native plants, fish and animals, all of which play a vital part in maintaining environmental balance. They:

• move carbon (the product of decomposition of material buried or lying on the floodplain) between the river floodplain and wetlands
• have healthy river bank vegetation, which stabilises banks and slows erosion
• contain native fish, such as Murray cod, yellow belly and catfish, that move easily up river to the floodplain to feed and breed
• provide fresh water and food for estuarine and marine fish and shellfish, at the lower end of the catchment
• provide flows of sufficient depths and duration for waterbirds such as ibis, cormorants and night herons to build nests, breed, and raise chicks to fledging age
• replenish groundwater storages and dilute salty water left in wetlands and billabongs after dry periods
• have a diversity of habitats supporting a variety of plants and animals
• provide floodplain vegetation as food for native and domestic animals
• replenish the floodplains by depositing soil and nutrients on the floodplain.

The community derives considerable benefits from our rivers – and pays a considerable cost when their condition declines.

The risks associated with declining water quality, such as algal blooms, can have a substantial impact on urban and ‘stock and domestic’ water supplies, agriculture and tourism.

For all of these reasons, the protection of Victoria’s rivers is vital for the state.