The Powlett River Kugerungmome Partnerships project is a joint initiative led by West Gippsland CMA which aims to identify the values and reduce the impact of threats to the area including weeds, pest animals and poor livestock management practices to climate change.
The Powlett River and its six main tributaries has been identified as a priority area in the West Gippsland Regional Catchment Strategy (RCS). The Powlett River terminates into Bass Strait in an intermittently closed estuary system, which is listed as a Nationally Important Wetland in Victoria due to its diverse range of birds, plants, and fish communities, including many listed threatened and endangered species. It also has extensive saltmarsh and wetland communities and high cultural heritage values.
The results from the spring survey of aquatic life across the Powlett catchment area will provide the baseline data for the project.
“Whilst the catchment lies entirely within agricultural land, it was heartening to discover healthy fish populations in some of the waterways,” said Paula Camenzuli, Natural Resource Management Strategic Planner for West Gippsland CMA.
