The Martuwarra has been included as the world's first living water museum within the UNESCO World Inventory Inventory of Water Museums.

The Global Network of Water Museums (WAMU-NET) is a ‘flagship initiative’ of UNESCO-IHP (Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme) to foster water awareness education. WAMU-NET is established to connect people with all forms of water legacy (both natural and cultural heritages) and highlight the natural, social, cultural, artistic, and spiritual dimensions related to water and inherited form the past.

The Martuwarra Fitzroy River has been recognised by The Global Network of Water Museums as a living example of an environmental and cultural waterway of global importance that should be protected as a vital part of the world's most essential and precious natural resource.

In May 2024 representatives from the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council will travel to the 10th World Water Forum in Bali where the inclusion of the Martuwarra as a living water museum will be formally recognised and endorsed. This recognition by UNESCO further endorses and supports the commitment of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council to act locally to protect a vital part of the global waterways we all depend on.