show Abstracthide AbstractThis project involved eDNA-based soil microbiome survey of riparian areas in the lower River Torrens, Adelaide South Australia. Bacterial community (16S V3-V4) and functional potential (shotgun metagenomics) profiling were used to establish baseline data for assessing changes in post-rehabilitation sites and tracking the shift towards local biodiverse reference conditions. Locations included unrestored (Stage 3) sites, previously restored (Stage 2) sites, and upstream reference sites (positive controls).