Current rates of groundwater use in many arid regions of Australia and around the world are unsustainable and could lead to significant economic and ecological costs if left unchecked. Protecting these ecosystems is vital to tourism, biodiversity conservation and the ecology of Australia. University of Technology, Sydney will develop a sensor-based early warning system to monitor groundwater levels via trees and alert when excessive groundwater is being extracted. Over three years, this project will protect 20 of the most vulnerable sites in Australia from excessive groundwater use. This will result in saving $90 million and developing a system with the potential to impact the 1.8 billion people living in arid and semi-arid regions around the world.