1Our Campaigns 0Healthy Rivers & Nature About Healthy Rivers

Healthy Rivers & Water

Imagine a Victoria where we talk about our rivers with pride. Where clean water flows freely and diverse ecosystems thrive. And your favorite spot beside that creek is still around for your children's children to enjoy.

Now imagine yourself getting involved in one of our campaigns to protect and restore Victoria's precious waterways.

We all depend on Victoria’s rivers. They supply the water that comes out of our taps. They help grow our food and support local industries. They give us beautiful places to connect, relax and play – and important habitat for native animals like the platypus.

Each year, Victorians draw trillions of litres of water out of our rivers for irrigation and for use in cities and towns. But as our population continues to grow, more and more is being taken every year.

Our rivers are facing an almighty squeeze. Some, like the Yarra, the Goulburn and the Thomson, are struggling to survive on just half the water that they need. Add the impacts of a damaged climate that is hotter and drier, and the problems only multiply.

Learn more about why our rivers are in trouble >>

It’s clear we can’t keep going down the path of ‘business as usual’. To secure a healthy future – one where our rivers sustain abundant birdlife and prosperous local communities – we need to come together to push for change.

That’s why Environment Victoria is working alongside communities from across the state to stand up for our rivers and protect the natural places we love.

Learn more about the solutions to protect our rivers >>

Environment Victoria’s Healthy Rivers Campaign has a long and proud history of working to get rivers a fair share of their own water, with plenty of successes.

For years we have campaigned for a plan to revive the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin. The Basin Plan agreed in 2012 should be setting our rivers up for a healthier future. But instead, a handful of powerful corporate interests have been undermining the Plan to rig the rules in their favour.

The Plan will be reviewed in 2026, and we’re calling on governments to listen to the science and deliver a much better version – one that reduces the unsustainable amount of water taken out and gives our rivers a fighting chance. Add your voice here >>

As well as fighting for a successful Murray-Darling Basin Plan, we’re also pushing for strong state leadership to protect our precious forests and threatened species, and to ensure all Victoria’s rivers have a future under a hotter, drier climate.

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