What is the environmental health of the icon sites?
The current health of the majority of icon sites is very poor (see the Icon Site Condition Report). The Living Murray was initiated because of the poor prospects of maintaining the health of areas of the floodplain and river with high ecological value. Five years was seen as a reasonable period of time to recover water for the sites (which led to the 2009 water recovery timeframe). However, in the meantime the Basin and the Murray River have experienced unprecedented and prolonged drought. The health of the icon sites has been severely affected by the recent drought, which is now commonly thought to have been exacerbated by climate change. Events such as the recent drought are part of the natural cycle of the Murray River. However, this recent drought was drier and longer than any on record. The Living Murray initiated a significant recovery of environmental water for use at the icon sites, and small amounts of water have already been applied to icon sites over the last 3 years. Withou
