***• This lake in Imperial Lakes Nature Park, near Broken Hill, NSW, is expected to be empty next month, in February, 2026***

By

Simon Molesworth,

Landcare Broken Hill Inc.

Heatwaves and drought are threatening the survival of wildlife at Broken Hill's Imperial Lakes Nature Park.

Water is disappearing fast as summer temperatures soar. Very soon, the lakes will be dry, and animals that depend on this critical water will perish. The purchase of water is desperately needed now to save the wildlife.

Imperial Lakes Nature Park, located on the outskirts of Broken Hill NSW, is owned by Landcare Broken Hill, a community-based registered charity.

The Nature Park is home to threatened species of turtles, frogs, fish and birds. This important ecosystem consists of two lakes - one lake has already gone dry, and the other, the eastern lake is evaporating quickly.

Never in its 130-year history have both lakes gone dry. With climate change, the severity of extreme conditions has become obvious.

Landcare Broken Hill needs our support. Help us protect the precious creatures that call it home by purchasing water for the Lakes. We have launched a national crowd-funding appeal to buy water using the Chuffed platform – see the link below:

https://chuffed.org/project/emergency-water-for-wildlife

The Nature Park is run by Landcare's volunteers who work tirelessly to protect this important habitat and its wildlife. Several locally threatened species call it home, including the barking marsh frog, the eel-tailed catfish, the eastern long-necked turtle and the broad-shelled turtle. It is also an important site for birds, including sacred kingfishers, rainbow bee-eaters, and nesting black swans. Some species may be more plentiful in other distant parts of Australia, but in this remotely located nature park in Far West NSW, the park is an oasis, offering a refuge and haven from the harsh surrounding region increasingly challenged by climate change.

Your donation is critical for Landcare to purchase water and save the wildlife. No water carting is required, as a water authority pipeline passes through the park, but Landcare can only buy the water at the full raw water retail consumer price.

When water disappears, so does wildlife. Fresh water provides a crucial food source and habitat for animals in the Outback. When lakes dry, animals are forced to migrate, face dehydration, and become vulnerable to predators. Given its remoteness, other options do not exist

As lakes heat and evaporate, the water chemistry (salinity and oxygen) changes. An algal bloom is an immediate threat. This stresses aquatic life like fish and turtles, disrupting breeding cycles and potentially causing mass die-offs and extinctions.

• ***Dead Eastern long-necked turtle on dry lake bed***

All creatures that depend on the Imperial Lakes are impacted - everything from birds to insects, amphibians and fish to mammals. But you can help us save these animals.

Your contribution to the Emergency Water for Wildlife campaign will help Landcare Broken Hill purchase critical water, right now, and make sure the eastern lake does not go dry. Once the current emergency is overcome with an initial water purchase, the Emergency Water for Wildlife Fund is being established so that whenever the ravages of climate change challenge the Nature Park, there will be funds to buy water again, so that the wildlife are never endangered again.

• ***Pair of young Nankeen kestrels on their nest in a Eucalyptus tree***

FAQ

Is my donation tax-deductible?

Yes, Landcare Broken Hill Inc. is a registered Australian charity, with ATO approved DGR status. Your donation is tax-deductible.

How is the water being purchased?

Landcare Broken Hill will purchase water from Essential Water, a NSW government agency, which has a pipeline passing through the Park. Available at $1.67 per KL, we need 100ML.

What happens if it significantly rains and there is no urgent need to buy water?

Funds will be kept in the Landcare Broken Hill Emergency Water for Wildlife Fund, a fund established to buy and maintain the lake water depth at the Nature Park. If purchasing water is longer required in a rare good season, funds will be held in reserve and can be used for important water infrastructure and monitoring systems that will preserve the quality and longevity of the lakes.

What is the Water Fund?

Landcare Broken Hill's Emergency Water for Wildlife Fund is used primarily to purchase water when needed for the lakes in Imperial Lakes Nature Park, such as in the current crisis, and for other critical related water infrastructure to preserve the lakes. It will be maintained as a Fund so that there will always by funds available to buy water whenever the water depth again reduces to an unsustainable depth for wildlife, which sadly is predicted to be not infrequent.

What is the Imperial Lakes Nature Park?

The property was a former NSW government reservoir, decommissioned in 2022.

Landcare Broken Hill Inc., a community-based charity, purchased it in January 2023 to protect the environment by creating an extraordinary nature park.

The Nature Park has four foci: biodiversity conservation, passive recreation, ecotourism and environmental education & nature-based vocational training. Located 800m from Broken Hill on the Barrier Highway, in Far West NSW’s Arid Zone. It is volunteer run and managed, with minimal government support to date.