Phase 1 of the Program ran for nearly 7 years in total. It had 3 sub-programs, two based on scientific experimentation and one on practical application through a series of demonstration projects. Phase 1 had funding of $4.6m from Land & Water Australia, $0.7m from third parties (mainly State agencies) and $2.3m from research organisations. It was guided by an advisory committee with representation from Commonwealth, State and Territory agencies. This group played an important role in making sure the R&D responded to issues faced by river managers, and also in taking research results back into agency policy and programs.

Phase 1 also started the strong communications effort that has characterised the entire Program, with a series of River and Riparian Management Fact Sheets, River and Riparian Management Technical Guides, and the Riparian Land Management Technical Guidelines (1999) which summarized both the scientific knowledge at the time and provided practical guidance in riparian management as well as a summary of relevant legislation. These were complemented by the RipRap newsletter  and establishment of the www.rivers.gov.au website.

Phase 1 provided for the first time a sound, scientific underpinning on which to base good riparian management. Land & Water Australia decided to fund a second phase of the Program to translate this research into management practices that could be used by agencies, rural industries, land holders and community groups. A series of workshops with agencies and industry bodies identified 11 management issues that have been the focus of work within Phase 2, which ran from 2000 until 2005, with a harvest year in 2006 to complete the synthesis and communication of new information. Funding for Phase 2 was $3.5m from Land & Water Australia, $1.1m from third parties, and $1.3m from research organisations. The range of communication materials has been expanded and earlier editions updated, and several industry-specific guides on sound riparian management have been published through collaboration with the Sugar and Cotton R&D corporations and Australian Wool Innovation.

This large, national investment, equivalent to $1m per year over 13 years, has greatly increased the understanding and measurement of important riparian processes, enabling sound management practices to be developed and used with confidence. It has also been instrumental through its communication effort in lifting the profile of riparian and river management within rural communities and industries. To find out more about the key findings from this investment click on the links below, or have a look at other areas of this site.