Draft Ramsar Management Plan: Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland

Consultation has concluded

The draft Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland Ramsar Management Plan (RMP) underwent extensive public consultation throughout 2024, receiving in-depth feedback and recommendations from numerous organisations, state and federal government departments and community members. Following feedback, the Department for Environment and Water undertook the comprehensive task of revising and finalising the RMP in consultation with technical experts.

In June 2025, the RMP was approved for release by the then SA Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Hon Susan Close MP.

The RMP outlines how the site will be managed and includes a revised site boundary. However, this boundary has not yet been formally endorsed under the Ramsar Convention, as the updated Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS) is still being prepared.

The RMP also refers to an Ecological Character Description (ECD), which provides a scientific baseline for the site’s key ecological features. While the ECD is being shared publicly to support transparency and understanding of the updated RMP, it too is awaiting formal endorsement under the Ramsar Convention.

For further information please refer to the Fact Sheet: Ramsar Management Plan.

The draft Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland Ramsar Management Plan (RMP) underwent extensive public consultation throughout 2024, receiving in-depth feedback and recommendations from numerous organisations, state and federal government departments and community members. Following feedback, the Department for Environment and Water undertook the comprehensive task of revising and finalising the RMP in consultation with technical experts.

In June 2025, the RMP was approved for release by the then SA Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Hon Susan Close MP.

The RMP outlines how the site will be managed and includes a revised site boundary. However, this boundary has not yet been formally endorsed under the Ramsar Convention, as the updated Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS) is still being prepared.

The RMP also refers to an Ecological Character Description (ECD), which provides a scientific baseline for the site’s key ecological features. While the ECD is being shared publicly to support transparency and understanding of the updated RMP, it too is awaiting formal endorsement under the Ramsar Convention.

For further information please refer to the Fact Sheet: Ramsar Management Plan.

Consultation has concluded

  • What we heard

    Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide feedback.

    We are currently undertaking the comprehensive task of finalising the Ramsar Management Plan: Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland (RMP). Once completed, the plan will be submitted to the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water for approval. Concurrently, the Department for Environment and Water is progressing with the development of the Ecological Character Description and the Ramsar Information Sheet.

    The final RMP is scheduled for release in mid-2025 and will be made available on this page.

    Click to enlarge


  • Have your say on the draft Ramsar Management Plan: Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland

    What's being decided?

    We are seeking public feedback on the draft Ramsar Management Plan: the Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland (RMP).

    The draft RMP provides the framework to protect and maintain the ecological character of the Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland, which is critical for the environment, First Nations, local communities and economies, the overall health of the Murray-Darling Basin and the success of the Basin Plan.

    Background

    The Coorong is one of South Australia’s most iconic natural assets and is recognised as a ‘Wetland of International Importance’ under the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar 1971).

    The Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland Ramsar site provides significant environmental values which underpin the recreational and economic benefits of the region, such as tourism and commercial fishing.

    Culturally, the Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland Ramsar site is of great importance to the Ngarrindjeri and First Nations of the South East as their spiritual, social, cultural, and economic practices come from the region's lands and waters, and they continue to maintain their cultural heritage, economies, languages, and lores which are of ongoing importance.

    Since the original Ramsar Management Plan was developed in 2000, there has been significant progress in both environmental management practices and scientific investigations of the site. This progress has aided in identifying:

    • priority values and threats to the ecological character of the wetland
    • targets for managing different parts of the site
    • triggers for taking action to protect the site.

    The revised draft RMP incorporates the above identifiers along with the experiences, knowledge and learnings from the Millennium Drought, to ensure a strategic approach to managing this large and complex natural system.

    Get involved

    Find out more by reading:

    Have your say by:

    If you would like more information or have any questions, please email us at project.coorong@sa.gov.au

    What are the next steps?

    We will consider all feedback when finalising the draft Ramsar Management Plan. The final RMP will be released in mid-2025 and made available on this page.