A large property containing a unique wetland system in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin was transferred into long-term Indigenous ownership in 2026 for conservation.
The 33,000-hectare (81,545-acre) property contains most of the Great Cumbung Swamp, located at the end of the Lachlan River in the state of New South Wales. The swamp has a mix of open water and reed beds, bordered by river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) woodlands, and is an important habitat for waterbirds, frogs, fish and reptiles.
The Nari Nari Tribal Council (NNTC), an Indigenous conservation land management organization, purchased the property in January 2026 following joint fundraising efforts by the conservation NGO The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and NNTC. James Fitzsimons of TNC recently wrote about the sale of the property in Oryx.
Fitzsimons told Mongabay by email that the Great Cumbung Swamp “acts a refuge when the rest of the landscape is dry,” He added that it supports threatened species such as the Australasian Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus), Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii) and the southern bell frog (Litoria raniformis). Each year, approximately 11,500 waterbirds visit the swamp.
The wetland is not only of local, state and national significance, but has been evaluated to be listed as a Ramsar wetland of international significance, Fitzsimons said.
The property had experienced decades of logging and cattle grazing. In 2019, TNC and the Tiverton Agricultural Impact Fund jointly purchased it to prevent future agricultural intensification and further degradation of the ecosystem.
Fitzsimons said grazing pressures have reduced since the purchase. This, combined with natural flooding, has led to significant recovery of the vegetation and biodiversity within the property, he added. “Previously water stressed mature [river red gum] trees have rebounded with new growth and the extensive reed beds have benefited from reduced grazing pressure,” Fitzsimons said.
The two organizations bought the property to achieve conservation goals while generating revenue, but this model was “challenged due to record-breaking floods between 2020 and 2023,” Fitzsimons said. So, they decided to sell the property with the goal of “securing long-term conservation outcomes,” he added.
Since NNTC’s purchase of the property, 16,000 hectares (39,537 acres) have received permanent legal protection, which will conserve the high value wetland and the surrounding riverine corridor. Fitzsimons said the “NNTC have indicated they are keen to improve the ecological health of the whole property.”
The NNTC already manages areas adjoining the property for conservation, including the Gayini Conservation Area and the Toogimbie Indigenous Protected Area, according to its website.
“This milestone strengthens our stewardship of this landscape and supports ongoing culturally-led conservation for future generations,” Jamie Woods, chair of NNTC, said in a statement. “Our approach will ensure the ecological health, biodiversity protection, and landscape-scale restoration outcomes that this unique environment requires.”
Banner image: The Great Cumbung Swamp in 2019 (left) and 2022 (right). Images by James Fitzsimons (left) and Matt Davis (right) (CC BY 4.0).
