Murray-Darling Basin Commission

N
POTENTIAL "NATURE" INDICATORS

Annual Rainfall

Average Temperature

Average Water Temperature

Endangered birds in the region

Endangered mammals in the Basin

Fish Species Diversity (#) / Richness (biomass) - Native

Fish Species Diversity (#) / Richness (biomass) - Non-native (Carp)

Flow Variability

Flow Volume

Health of Ramsar-recognized wetlands

Hi-Flow / Low-Flow

Incidence of Flooding

Macro-Invertebrate Species Richness

Percentage of days per year that water does not rich the river's mouth (currently
40% -- average absent development was 1%)

Salinity

Tree species exhibiting high levels of stress (some at 80%)

Water quality

WHAT ARE YOUR ADDITIONS TO THIS LIST? WRITE THEM BELOW ...
 Murray-Darling Basin Commission

S
POTENTIAL "SOCIETY" INDICATORS

Adherence to extraction limits

Crime levels in urban / rural communities in the Basin

Existence / establishment of management plans in individual river valleys

Implementation of plans (alignment of plans to actual practice)

Length of time required to conduct analyses / develop new policies

Levels of satisfaction with governance of the Basin (survey results)

Number of citizens participating in stakeholder consultation sessions about Basin

issues

Number of communities who have reduced services to citizens

Percentage of agricultural income going to aboriginal communities

Population migration within the Basin

Water rights ownership profiles

WHAT ARE YOUR ADDITIONS TO THIS LIST? WRITE THEM BELOW ...
 Murray-Darling Basin Commission

E
POTENTIAL "ECONOMY" INDICATORS

Amount of emergency financial assistance being provided to farmers

Amount of irrigated land

Amount of water lost to leaks and storage inefficiency

Cost of allotment purchases by government

Groundwater extraction

Level of trade in water rights

Levels of awareness of Murray-Darling River Basin issues and trends

Levels of employment in sectors dependent on river water (agriculture, industry)

Membership in associations / subscribers to newsletters with a focus on Basin

issues

Over- or under-allocation of water (currently seriously over-allocated)

Percent of Australian farmers located in the Basin

Percent of water use going to industry

Percentage of Australia's population living in the Basin

Percentage of Australian Agriculture Dependent on Murray-Darling

Percentage of river water use going to agriculture (currently 83%)

Retention rates for schoolteachers in communities affected by drought

Value of agriculture production in the basin (currently 39% of Australian total)

WHAT ARE YOUR ADDITIONS TO THIS LIST? WRITE THEM BELOW ...
Murray-Darling Basin Commission
 Murray-Darling Basin Commission

W
POTENTIAL "WELL-BEING" INDICATORS

Access to high-quality local drinking water

Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms

Human exposure to hazardous chemicals

Incidence of child malnutrition - aboriginal population

Incidence of child malnutrition - general population

Incidence of mental illness / depression

Incidence of river-borne viral infections

Incidence of suicide in the Basin

Level of fecal bacteria in the river water

Number of people seeking treatment for alcohol and drug abuse

Number of recreational fishing licenses sold

Perceived quality of life survey results

Quality assessment of waterscapes and landscapes (perceived beauty)

Visitors to park areas in the Basin

WHAT ARE YOUR ADDITIONS TO THIS LIST? WRITE THEM BELOW ...