The Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystem Values Project run by DPIWE is part of the implementation of the Water Development Plan for Tasmania. The project will provide for conservation of key, representative aquatic ecosystems (including rivers and streams, wetlands, major groundwater springs, lakes and estuaries). This will be achieved through a comprehensive review of aquatic environmental values (DPIWE), involving:

• identifying and auditing the significant natural features of Tasmania's freshwater ecosystems
   
• providing a strategic framework for the conservation and management of significant freshwater ecosystems to inform water resource planning, development and management.
   

The audit of the State's freshwater and estuarine ecosystem values has commenced. The purpose of the audit is to identify the State's key freshwater values and to map where they occur. To achieve this the Project is using a combination of existing and newly collected data on hydrology, water quality, geomorphology and the riverine, wetland and estuarine plants and animals. Once the Audit is completed it will be widely accessible to those involved with NRM via the web.

Design of the management system for conserving significant values has also commenced. The conservation system is designed using the Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative principles that have been used for designing terrestrial and marine conservation systems.

The Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystem Values Project has developed an agreement with the Protected Areas on Private Lands Program to develop protocols and templates for formalising voluntary agreements with private landholders. Further information on the Protected Areas on Private Lands Program is available here.