Our Work

Many of the rivers we love and depend on are deteriorating, threatening our most precious resource - water. Healthy waterways provide clean and safe drinking water, restore threatened habitat for native wildlife, and strengthen our climate resilience by capturing carbon from the atmosphere and mitigating the impact of natural disasters.

For 18 years, the Australian River Restoration Centre (ARRC) has been delivering real change for our waterways.

Our three areas of work

On-ground river restoration

Through our on-ground river restoration program, Rivers of Carbon, we work directly with landholders, local groups and First Nations Peoples to bring rivers back to life. In doing so, we create ecologically resilient landscapes that can better withstand pressures such as droughts, floods, and a changing climate.

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Our work includes:

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  • Revegetating landscapes
  • Erosion management and control plans
  • Invasive species control
  • Stock exclusion
  • Creating habitat for fish and wildlife
  • Protecting water quality from sediment and other pollutants
  • Assisting community groups and landholders launch projects
Outdoor gathering of people seated and standing on grass in front of rustic farm buildings under a cloudy sky.

Building knowledge and capacity

Over 80% of land in NSW is privately managed, and we recognise that communities and land managers need to be supported to implement sustainable environmental practices across these landscapes.

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We aim to directly improve waterway health by educating and enabling land managers and communities to start their own river restoration journey. Every workshop, resource and campaign builds the capacity needed to restore rivers nationwide.

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Our work includes:

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  • Developing practical guidelines and resources – check our our river restoration resource library
  • Running field days, tailored workshops, and leadership programs that build capacity and support implementation
  • Facilitating stakeholder engagement activities such as community forums and interactive events
Dry riverbed with sparse water flow surrounded by dry vegetation and tall green trees under a hazy sky.

Advocacy

Rivers cannot speak for themselves, so we give them a voice in the major decisions that affect them.

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Our advocacy work influences governments, agencies, councils, and the broader community to secure stronger protections, better water policy and recognition of cultural flows. The ARRC aims to drive policies and practices that ensure current issues are brought to the forefront and that river health remains a national priority.

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Our work includes:

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  • Delivering evidence-based campaigns that raise awareness, capture media attention, and build momentum for fair water management
  • Conducting research and analysis across ecological, economic, and cultural issues to provide actionable solutions
  • Amplifying the diverse voices often left of river management decisions - including local communities, First Nations, and the rivers themselves – turning local knowledge into clear actions that hold decision-makers accountable
  • Developing policy submissions and recommendations to influence local, state and federal water policy
  • Facilitating stakeholder engagement, finding common ground between government, industry, landholders, and communities to promote river-centric legislation and funding priorities

Our Impact

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Partnered with 600+ landholders to undertake on-ground restoration on their properties
Simple blue icon of a river with two shores and water flow in the center.
330+ km of waterways and 2000 hectares of land protected (further than the distance from Canberra to Sydney)
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223,000+ trees planted (that’s more than 40 trees planted every single day over 15 years)
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500 hectares of weeds managed
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Built erosion control structures across 50+ sites
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100+ educational field days and workshops held for landholders and community groups, from Cooma to Cairns.
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1500+ volunteers, land managers, and community members engaged at in-person field days and workshops
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Developed 40+ practical waterway management resources to support property owners to make a difference across Australia
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Each year run a campaign for World Rivers Day to #ShoutOutOurRivers, bringing attention to waterways across Australia
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Successfully campaigned to stop the raising of the Warragamba dam wall
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With our Forgotten River campaign, we helped secure $50 million of Commonwealth funding to help restore the Upper Murrumbidgee River, designed to improve drinking water quality and security for the ACT, restore threatened biodiversity, and ensure First Nations values and knowledge are implemented in the river’s ongoing management

Everyone can play a role in protecting and restoring our rivers for generations to come. Support us to make an even bigger impact!

Support Us