The stunning Leschenault Estuary is highly valued by our community vistas as a place of social and cultural importance, where fishing, crabbing, and other recreational pursuits are a popular way for the Greater Bunbury population to engage with nature. The Estuary also exhibits significant ecological values, including; being home to a resident pod of dolphins, part of the East Asian Australasian Flyway, an important habitat to resident waterbirds and other wildlife, an important habitat to a range of marine flora and fauna and an important interface between the Leschenault Catchment’s river systems and the Indian Ocean.

Unfortunately, in recent times the estuary has shown signs of ecological distress and water quality degradation, with sedimentation, nuisance algae, harmful algal blooms and fish deaths becoming more common. There is an urgent need to balance growing urbanisation and intensification of agriculture with long-term health of the estuary.

On Thursday 5 June 2020, Minister Kelly announced the State Government's $25 million Healthy Estuaries WA program. 

The Healthy Estuaries WA program builds on the work of the Regional Estuaries Initiative and will drive action in catchments to improve water quality and restore the environmental balance of estuaries.

The program will continue work to reduce nutrient inputs from priority catchments, use the latest science to monitor and effectively manage waterways, and continue to build collaboration between community, scientists, government and industry. 

The estuaries to be funded as a part of the program are the Peel-Harvey estuary, Leschenault Estuary, Vasse-Wonnerup wetlands, Hardy Inlet, Wilson Inlet, Oyster Harbour, and expands to include Torbay Inlet.

This program funds a range of on-ground works which are undertaken by the LCC in partnership with landholders and other government and non-government agencies throughout the catchment. These include soil and water testing, farm effluent management upgrades, fencing, revegetation and drainage, as well as new science and modelling, building regional capacity and programs to reduce fertiliser use in urban areas.

For more information on Healthy Estuaries WA visit https://estuaries.dwer.wa.gov.au or https://estuaries.dwer.wa.gov.au/estuary/leschenault-estuary/, and if you would like to stay up to date with this project and hear about upcoming volunteer opportunities, please sign up to our mailing list!

The Leschenault Estuary (Derbal Elaap) Condition of the Estuary 2016-19 Report can be accessed here.