Richmond River Catchment Program
To address the impacts of human land uses and activities on the Richmond River estuary, a 10-year Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for the Richmond River estuary was developed by Ballina Shire, Lismore City, Richmond Valley and Rous County councils.
The CZMP for the Richmond River estuary details implementation of key actions to address the many issues affecting the health of the waterways and the Richmond River estuary. It was certified by the NSW Government on 24 February 2012.
The estuary extends some 90km from the mouth of the Richmond River to the tidal limit near Boat Harbour.
The Richmond River estuary previously supported a highly productive network of natural ecosystems, human land uses and activities. Agriculture, fishing, recreation and tourism activities interact with each other and the environment that supports them. Over time, these interactions have had a negative impact on the health of our creeks, our rivers and the estuary.
The primary goal of the CZMP was to utilise twelve strategies to achieve integrated and balanced methods to restore and maintain the ecological sustainability of the estuary as well as the associated recreational and commercial activities.
The new CMP being developed for the Richmond River will update the CZMP in line with new legislation and will now include the whole catchment.