Waterbirds at Coombool Swamp, Chowilla.

Understanding ecological responses to altered flow regimes

The Ecological Responses to Altered Flow Regimes Collaboration Cluster is undertaking research to support sustainable management of Australia's aquatic ecosystems.

• 16 March 2011 | Updated 14 October 2011

Overview

• Background
• Cluster research objectives
• Collaboration partners

Background

As a result of unsustainable human demands on the environment, rivers, lakes, wetlands and other aquatic ecosystems in many regions of Australia have suffered severe degradation.

The ecological condition of many of the wetlands of international importance (RAMSAR sites) is declining, and large regions have experienced a major, prolonged drought which, coupled with water extraction, has produced the driest conditions on record.

Recent rains have brought welcome flows to many of these wetlands. However, CSIRO projections suggest that future conditions are expected to be drier than historical conditions, reinforcing the imperative to plan for dry conditions.

The state of knowledge about aquatic ecosystems has not kept pace with the increasing problems caused by past water resource management approaches, and is currently inadequate to meet the objectives of the Commonwealth Water Act.

There is currently an urgent need for long-term, whole of system, integrated ecosystems science to provide decision makers with the requisite information for sustainable water resource management in Australia.

Cluster research objectives

In order to facilitate sustainable management of water resources, CSIRO is working with a number of partners to develop the science which will underpin improved environmental monitoring, risk assessment and environmental modelling tools.

The Cluster will conduct research with the aim of informing the development of assessment and management tools, including:

• an assessment of the water requirements for the environmental assets of the Murray-Darling Basin
• framework for determining the priority of a watering schedule or groundwater management to meet the water requirements
• an operational model for water delivery to supply the watering schedule
• a monitoring programme to assess the efficacy of the water delivery, monitor the changing ecosystem and the health of environmental assets.

Collaboration partners

The Cluster brings together research institutions which are well-respected in the aquatic ecosystem research community both nationally and internationally. They include:

• CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship
• Griffith University, Australia
• The University of New South Wales, Australia
• Monash University, Australia
• Charles Sturt University, Australia
• La Trobe University, Australia
• Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment through its Arthur Rylah Institute.

Read more about Water for a Healthy Country Flagship.