Group of Forests

The Living Murray Project



The Living Murray (TLM) is one of the most significant river restoration programs in the country. TLM commenced in 2002, following scientific and community concerns the ecological health of the Murray was in serious decline.

Our role in the Living Murray is to:

Assist Forestry Corporation to engage and communicate with stakeholders

Facilitation and administration of stakeholder reference groups for consistent engagement in the delivery of environmental watering events

Complete field surveys and assessments for intervention and condition monitoring for the TLM​

The Groups of Forests Projects



We define the Group of Forests as the River Red Gum Forests of Koondrook-Perricoota (NSW) and Gunbower (VIC).

This group of forest spans from the town of Echuca (VIC) to Barham (NSW) and spans over 50,000ha of River Murray floodplains. The forests are considered both an icon site and a Ramsar protected site.

We work across a number of projects with out project partners. that come under the Group of Forests as identified by community interests and needs. These include the Pollack Enhancement Project and the Little Forest Management Plan.

As well as projects relating to positive ecological outcomes, we also host events and field days to various locations in the forest. 

Our community's vision for their forest

In 2021, a community vision was developed for the Koondrook-Perricoota Forest.



A healthy working forest where native species can flourish, and where local communities can connect and co-manage the forest for future generations."



A detailed report on the visioning process has been recorded. Achieving these outcomes for our community is at the heart of all our Group of Forests project

Our role

Our role across the Group of Forest projects is to:

Communicate community needs and it's vision for the forest.

Help enhance the condition of the forests, including sourcing funding for and completing revegetation, improving the condition of native wildlife and delivering environmental benefits.

Improve community knowledge of the forest's profile and it's cultural and ecological significance through information sessions, communication materials, and field trips.

Provide administrative assistance to the Koondrook Perricoota Alliance (KPA) made up of landholders, community groups, local government and industry members.​

​Whilst these are our current key roles, we are open to developing them based on community interest and needs.

Group of Forests projects & events

Want to be kept updated with what's happening across our forest projects?

​Join our mailing list to receive occasional email updates.

Koondrook-Perricoota Forest Community Email List

Weekly reports

We keep a record of Koondrook-Perricoota Overbank summaries. These include information on water delivery, inundation levels and areas and general observations on wildlife, vegetation and more.

Copies of these reports can be found at the below links.

Koondrook-perricoota overbank reports

Dan Hutton, DOD Hutton, Director (Consultant)

Hailing from the UK, Dan cut his teeth as a grazing & pastoral property manager in far western QLD.

​He ran his own consultancy for over 10 years in this field before making the move over to Forestry, working in native hardwood plantations and ecology departments before his role as icon site manager and project manager.

​Dan now runs his own private consultancy business DOD Hutton based in Deniliquin NSW. He specialises in field work, water management and he also facilitates indigenous and broader community liaison/consultation.

Dr John Conallin

John holds a PhD in Natural Sciences, his work focusses on capacity building through research of local stakeholders (primarily government and community) with an emphasis on learning and pragmatism balanced with precision and acquiring evidence for use within decision making.

John respects the local visions people have for their own backyard and builds the capacity of the local community to be involved in how their local natural resources are managed.
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Our project team works closely with John across a number of projects relating to the Group of Forests, specifically with the protection and rejuvenation of native fish populations.

John has also worked and based his research extensively in South East Asia with native fish communities in Myanmar.

Koondrook-Perricoota Alliance

The Koondrook Perricoota Alliance (KPA) was established on 16 July 2013 in partnership between the Joint Indigenous Group (JIG) and the Community Operational and Planning Assessment Committee (COPAC) which were established after construction of the Koondrook Perricoota Forest Flood Enhancement Project (KPFFEP).

​The KPA is formed by community, local government and industry members that have a vested interest in how environmental watering is managed in the Koondrook- Perricoota Forest. 

WMLIG provide governance and administrative support to the KPA.