Lake Eyre Basin Strategic Plan

Public consultation on the draft Strategic Plan for the Lake Eyre Basin is now closed.
Help shape the future of the Lake Eyre Basin
We want your input to the draft Strategic Plan (the plan) for the Lake Eyre Basin (the basin).
The plan will focus on water-related environmental, social, cultural and economic values and a proactive and adaptive management approach to risks. It will provide a long-term vision and framework for policy advice and risk management for communities, governments and ministers to follow.
The plan is being developed through consultation with the people who live, work in and have cultural connection to the basin. Together, we will set a shared vision for the future of the basin.
About the basin
Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Basin is environmentally and culturally unique. It covers around 1.2 million km2 – almost one-sixth of Australia ‑ and is similar in size to the Murray-Darling Basin. It is a place rich in Aboriginal culture and identity and is home to approximately 60,000 people, living and working in diverse and often remote communities.
It is the only river basin in Australia that does not reach the coast, and is the fourth largest internally draining basin in the world. It is home to diverse communities, wetlands, grasslands, deserts and many rare plants and animals including fish that can live for up to 80 years.
The basin is of conservation significance on a global scale. The basin has seen less disturbance since European settlement than many other parts of Australia and most of its ecosystems are in good health.
The basin and its waterways are still subject to threats from certain land-uses, pest plants and animals and other impacts. In response, communities and governments have committed to collaborative, cross-border management. The aim is to maintain the values of the basin into the future while supporting economic activity.