Flow-MER (Flow-Monitoring, Evaluation and Research) is the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder’s (CEWH) on-ground science program across the Murray–Darling Basin (the Basin). Flow-MER assesses how the environment – rivers, wetlands, plants and animals – are responding to Commonwealth environmental water.

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Flow-MER in brief

Flow-MER and the Basin-scale Project

The Flow-MER Program provides the CEWH with evidence of how Commonwealth environmental water is helping maintain, protect and restore ecosystems and native species across the Basin. Twelve projects make up Flow-MER – the Basin-scale Project, the Knowledge Exchange Project and 10 Area-scale projects (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Map of the Murray–Darling Basin showing the 10 Areas – Lower Balonne River System; Border, Barwon and Namoi River Systems; Gwydir River System; Darling and Warrego River Systems; Macquarie River and Marshes; Lachlan River System; Murrumbidgee River System; Mid-Murray River System; Goulburn River and Northern Victorian Tributaries; and Lower Murray and Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth.

CSIRO leads the Flow-MER Basin-scale Project, which works across the whole Basin. We evaluate and study environmental and Cultural outcomes from Commonwealth environmental water. Our work generates new knowledge that’s used by the CEWH to report on the effectiveness of environmental watering and help improve outcomes.

The Basin-scale Project:

  • evaluates annual and cumulative outcomes of Commonwealth environmental water across the Basin
  • studies how ecosystems respond to environmental water, including how environmental water supports Cultural outcomes for First Nations
  • manages data and shares what we learn.

Our work is organised across 5 Themes with 4 cross-cutting activities (Figure 2). Our Basin-scale Project activities are summarised in our Basin-scale evaluation and research plan 2024–30 (PDF 5.6 MB) and Annual implementation plan 2025–26 (PDF 970 KB).

Figure 2. The 5 Themes and 4 cross-cutting activities.

Cross-cutting and foundational activities

Foundation analysis and reporting

The foundation analysis and reporting cross-cutting activity compiles, analyses and shares essential Basin-scale data and maps for evaluating water management. We compile information about watering actions, map water flow and aquatic ecosystems, and prepare data for further analysis. This activity also generates important metrics for evaluating water management and adaptive strategies, including what flows and inundation would look like without environmental water (a counterfactual). This activity is led by Susan Cuddy, CSIRO.

Data management

The data management cross-cutting activity ensures high-quality data coordination and sharing to support evaluation, reporting and research. We manage data from various sources, including monitoring and research data, and make it accessible through the Flow-MER Data Portal. The Data management strategy (PDF 965 KB) emphasises collaboration with stakeholders, including First Nations people, to ensure data is used appropriately and effectively. This approach aims to create a valuable long-term public data resource to support water management in the Basin. This activity is led by Shane Brooks, Brooks Ecology and Technology.

Knowledge exchange

This activity shares our knowledge of the Basin-scale evaluation and research activities. The One Basin Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) leads the Knowledge Exchange Project and manages the public Flow-MER website, which publishes results and stories from both Basin-scale and Area-scale activities. The CEWH Flow-MER website contains more information about the Program, as well as resources and publications.

Partners

The Basin-scale Project team brings together expertise from multiple institutions with significant monitoring and research experience across the Basin to provide the scientific capability to undertake and deliver on the requirements of the project. The Flow-MER Basin-scale Project is a highly collaborative consortium led by CSIRO, with the University of Canberra and One Basin CRC as core partners. Our consortium also includes partners embedded across the Project team and working groups, including Brooks Ecology and Technology, Alluvium Consulting, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales and Environmental Systems Solutions, as well as state research agencies, including Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (ARI), NSW Department of Primary Industries (Fisheries) (NSW DPI), NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (NSW DCCEEW) and the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).

Contact

The Flow-MER Basin-scale Project is led by Dr Alison King. For more information, email flow-mer@csiro.au.

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Basin-scale evaluation

The 10 Flow-MER Area-scale projects collect data that we use, along with other complementary data sources, to evaluate the outcomes of Commonwealth environmental water across the Basin. The Basin-scale evaluation provides the CEWH with evidence to inform and build knowledge of Cultural and environmental outcomes from environmental water – for example, how environmental water is supporting healthy Country, helping to maintain, protect and restore aquatic ecosystems, and supporting native species in the Basin. We use Area monitoring data and other available datasets from the most recent water year (the water year runs from July to June). We also analyse the long-term data we’ve been collecting since 2014 (see Flow-MER legacy). The first evaluation for this iteration of Flow-MER will be for the 2024–25 water year. The Basin-scale evaluation is led by Dr Paul McInerney, CSIRO.

Our scientists also gather information on:

  • rainfall
  • inflows, storage volumes, surface water runoff and river flows
  • the areas of wetlands and floodplains inundated with water.

We collate data on how much Commonwealth environmental water was delivered, as well as where, when and why. Our scientists then prepare foundation datasets for the evaluation.

The Basin-scale team analyses foundation, Area and complementary datasets and prepares:

  • a report for each of the 5 Themes (see below)
  • a synthesis report.

Each of the 5 themes has its own evaluation approach and questions. More information about each Theme can be found on the Flow-MER website – click the links below to go to that Theme page.

River Flows and Connectivity

Native Fish

Native Vegetation

Waterbirds

Cultural Outcomes

The Basin-scale evaluation approach (PDF 1.7 MB) articulates how the Basin-scale Project will evaluate the outcomes of environmental water at the Basin scale, particularly the contribution of Commonwealth environmental water to meeting the Basin Plan objectives and outcomes.

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Basin-scale research

Under the Flow-MER Program, the CEWH invests in research to improve our knowledge on how ecosystems, plants and animals respond to environmental water and improve the evaluation of Cultural and environmental outcomes from Commonwealth environmental water. Basin-scale research supports environmental water management across the Basin. Flow-MER research activities commenced in 2025, investing in activities designed to improve scientific understandings of ecological responses to environmental watering in the Basin and First Nations outcomes of environmental water management.

The Basin-scale research strategy (PDF 1.3 MB) outlines the principles and scope for Flow-MER’s investment in research.

Research at the Basin scale complements research at the Area scale. Research reports will be available on the CEWH website.

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Flow-MER legacy

The current Flow-MER Program continues a decade-long legacy of environmental monitoring and research in the Basin. Between 2014 and 2019, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (now the CEWH) funded the Long-Term Intervention Monitoring Project (LTIM) and the Environmental Water Knowledge and Research Project (EWKR). From 2019 to 2024, the monitoring and research programs were merged into the first iteration of Flow-MER.

The Basin-scale Project uses monitoring data from LTIM and the first iteration of Flow-MER in our annual evaluations.

The CEWH website contains links to previous Flow-MER evaluation reports and research reports.

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Related projects (CSIRO projects that complement Flow-MER)

Banner image artist: Nina Rupena. http://www.ninarupena.studio/ 

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