Murray-Darling Basin Plan ‘cannot achieve’ environmental water savings target, report finds

The 450GL of water promised under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to save wetlands and avoid species loss ‘cannot be achieved under the current program settings’, the latest WESA report says. Photograph: Alicia Robertson

A key environmental measure in the Murray-Darling Basin plan “cannot be achieved under the current program settings” which may only save 13% of the 450 gigalitres required to protect river ecosystems, a much-anticipated report has found.

The plan promises 450GL to the environment, to save wetlands and avoid species loss, by 2024. The commonwealth funds that 450GL through the water for the environment special account (WESA).