Hawkesbury-Nepean Waterkeeper Alliance

Building a community voice for the River

The Hawkesbury-Nepean Waterkeeper Alliance achieved global recognition from the international Waterkeeper Alliance (opens in a new window), a global movement of community-based organisation employing on-the-water advocates who patrol and protect of rivers, in 2011. This original initiative has been renewed with a new collaborative working group from Western Sydney University (comprising RCE Greater Western Sydney), Greater Sydney Landcare with Streamwatch and member groups: Cattai Hills Environment Network, Hawkesbury-Nepean Landcare Network and Hawkesbury Environment Network.

Some key actions that we are currently undertaking, as a result of our forum, include:

• forming a 'Friends of the Alliance' network to build our networks and leverage work happening across the region;
• creating a river health report card that combines scientific, social and cultural data for the small stretch of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River;
• hosting a number of hands-on community citizen science training days funded by StreamWatch, including microplastic counts and riparian health assessments; and
• seeking funding and partnerships to support further initiatives.

For more information on this Waterkeepers Alliance, please visit out HaRWEST website or contact the RCE-GWS team