Nurturing community-led water stewardship and nature repair for the Sydney Drinking Water Catchment
A not-for-profit, a government department and philanthropic organisation are combining their strengths to drive systems change.
The Sydney Drinking Water Catchment (SDWC) covers 16 thousand square kilometres, 38% of which is agricultural land. About 60% of the NSW population consumes water supplied by creeks and streams in these areas. Climate change and long-term degradation issues are putting increasing pressure on these important landscapes.
Mulloon Institute’s new Water Stewardship Program has been developed in partnership with WaterNSW and is empowering communities to respond to these challenges. It marks a turning point for WaterNSW, which is aiming to advance its approach to waterway and landscape restoration in response to evaluation, insight and lessons learned.
The Program will drive community collaboration, and fund innovative landscape-scale projects across the SDWCs that restore local water cycles and enhance water quality, security and catchment health. The pilot phase of the program will run from 2025-2027. A series of demonstration projects will provide proof-of-concept for how the funding guidelines and Expression of Interest processes will work in the long term.
“We are building a water stewardship culture that safeguards the long-term vitality of our waterways and landscapes.”
WaterNSW
Backing from The Ian Potter Foundation is enabling the Institute to adopt a community-centric and innovative approach to program design. Tailored resources, community events and capacity-building will also be part of the pilot phase which aims to foster and support emerging communities of practice (CoPs). Collaborative approaches to water stewardship among farmers, custodians, Landcare, local councils, businesses and other community stakeholders will be encouraged. These key elements will all contribute to the formation of a robust, adaptable program supported by WaterNSW for the long-term.
Mulloon Institute welcomes interest from across the Sydney Drinking Water Catchment to take part in this pilot phase. If you or your community are interested in learning more, please reach out to the program manager, Erin Healy erin@mullooninstitute.org
