Case Study – Melbourne Zoo – Water Monitoring Program and Management Plan

Melbourne Zoo, located in Parkville Victoria is Australia’s leading zoological park, home to a wide variety of native and exotic species, with a strong focus on sustainability and conservation. The Zoo manages extensive landscaped areas, including themed gardens, enclosures, and public spaces, and is committed to optimising water use and irrigation efficiency across the site to support both plant health and sustainable operations.

Melbourne Zoo sought to improve the sustainability of its irrigation and landscape management. Challenges included monitoring soil and plant water status, evaluating irrigation effectiveness, optimising water use, and reducing stormwater discharge while maintaining plant health and aesthetics.

HydroTerra developed a Water Monitoring and Management Plan (WMP) that integrated environmental monitoring across the site. This included:

• Installation of soil and plant monitoring sensors across representative areas.
• Weather monitoring to inform irrigation scheduling.
• Data collection and analysis to build a database of environmental parameters.
• Development of a site-specific model linking plant health, aesthetics, and irrigation volumes.
• Training Zoo staff in sensor operation, software use, and data interpretation.
• Ongoing maintenance, system updates, and continuous data visualisation through DataStream™ to optimise irrigation management in real time.

The ongoing monitoring program has delivered significant water savings while providing real-time insights into soil, plant, and irrigation efficiency. Data-driven management allows optimisation of irrigation to support plant health and aesthetics, with continuous monitoring, updates, and visualisation through DataStream™. These improvements have reduced stormwater discharge and advanced the Zoo’s overall sustainability goals.