Australasian Catchment Water Improvement Standard (ACWIS)

Building on the success of the ENVOMARK Reef Credit standard, ACWIS enables landholders, project developers, Traditional Owners and other environmental stewards to generate water improvement ENVOMARK Credits through approved Methodologies by undertaking activities that reduce pollutants entering waterways and downstream receiving environments. The Standard provides a market mechanism that supports investment in water quality improvement, ecosystem restoration and catchment health while helping to deliver regional water quality objectives and broader sustainability outcomes.

In-scope activities are those that deliver verified reductions in pollutants entering a defined catchment setting and contribute to improved environmental outcomes for rivers, wetlands, estuaries, lakes, coastal waters, marine ecosystems and assets of concern.

Activities may include:

• Improved grazing land management
• Nutrient reduction initiatives
• Erosion control and sediment management
• Riparian restoration and streambank stabilisation
• Wetland restoration and treatment systems
• Catchment rehabilitation and ecosystem repair
• Other approved practice-change or restoration activities identified in relevant water quality improvement plans or comparable strategies

A water improvement Credit represents a quantified and verified amount of pollutant (e.g. Fine Sediment) prevented from entering the receiving environment of a defined catchment setting.

The measured pollutant reduction is converted into ENVOMARK Credits according to the Methodology and reflect the relative environmental value of reducing different pollutant types within specific catchments, informed by water quality improvement plans or strategies.