The Catchment

Media Releases
& Newsletters

Contacts

Publications

Catchment
Action Plan

Native Vegetation

Macro Water Sharing Plans

Community Partnership

Links

Home

The Catchment

The Southern River Catchment Management Authority covers an area of nearly 2.9 million hectares (29,000 square kilometres). It is bounded on the west by the Great Dividing Range and on the east seaward to three nautical miles and has a population of half a million people.

The region includes alpine and sub-alpine areas, the legendary plains and high country of the Monaro, the rich coastal belt, highly urbanised cities, industrial and residential developments and many holiday destinations - towns and villages whose populations often double at peak holiday times.

The region has many major rivers, including the Minamurra, Kangaroo, Shoalhaven, Clyde, Deua, Tuross, Brogo, Bega, Bemboka, Towamba, Genoa and Snowy.

The catchment's natural landscapes are incredibly varied, from rainforests to open woodlands, heathlands to wetlands, and alpine freshwater streams to magnificent estuarys including Lake Illawarra and Jervis Bay. Although many of these landscapes have been altered due to development and agriculture, a substantial proportion of the region is protected in national parks and reserves.

Some of the key challenges facing catchments in the Southern Rivers region include:

• managing water quality and quantity - sharing water with the environment and between people,

• conserving, rehabilitating and sustaining aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity

• protecting the soil,

• maintaining sustainable production and development,

• developing healthy urban environments,

• recognising and protecting cultural heritage, and

• maximising community participation in catchment health.

Download:
Map: Southern Rivers CMA area