Daly River Catchment ? towards an integrated catchment management

Abstract

The Daly River is the largest perennial river in the northern part of the Northern Territory. Its catchment has good soils and is earmarked for the future agricultural development. Recognising the nearly pristine character of the catchment, the NT Government placed a Moratorium on major developments, pending completion of an Integrated Regional Land Use Plan. The aim of such plan, based on analysis of hydrological, biological, environmental and social (including Indigenous people) studies, is to develop a balanced holistic catchment management approach. Despite the extensive research, significant knowledge gaps still exist. Most of the multidisciplinary studies of the catchment completed till now were conducted without sufficient attention paid to the interconnection between economic, environmental, social and cultural aspects of the river catchment management. As a result no integrated catchment management plan has as yet been proposed. Further research is needed to fill the existing knowledge gaps.