The Peel Region is defined by its waterways and wetlands, which are recognised by international treaties as the most important waterbird sites in south-western Australia.
Environmental degradation of the Peel-Harvey catchment has been ongoing since European settlement. The physiography of the coastal plain portion of the catchment – characterised by a high watertable and poor nutrient-retaining soils – promotes leaching of nutrients applied as fertiliser into adjacent wetlands, streams and estuaries.
In the 1970s and 1980s, severe eutrophication of the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary, manifesting as macroalgae and phytoplankton blooms, led to catchment management plans aimed at reducing nutrient inflows, and to the construction of the Dawesville Channel to promote flushing with seawater.
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