Optimising seasonal decisions for environmental water use. This project will develop a tool to optimise the use of environmental water, drawing on seasonal forecasts of streamflow and water price, and predicted ecological responses to changing flows. This tool will strengthen the effectiveness of the government organisations responsible for managing Australia's environmental water reserves.
Spatial scale of influence of riparian and catchment land use on stream ecosystem health. Human activities at the landscape scale comprise one of the greatest threats to the ecological integrity of river ecosystems. Government and community groups across Australia are making significant efforts in riparian protection and rehabilitation in an attempt to improve the health of degraded waterways but are hampered in their goal to maximise the environmental gains for every dollar or unit effort inve ....Spatial scale of influence of riparian and catchment land use on stream ecosystem health. Human activities at the landscape scale comprise one of the greatest threats to the ecological integrity of river ecosystems. Government and community groups across Australia are making significant efforts in riparian protection and rehabilitation in an attempt to improve the health of degraded waterways but are hampered in their goal to maximise the environmental gains for every dollar or unit effort invested. The proposed research on understanding the spatial scale of influence of land use and the aggregative effects on stream ecosystems will provide a robust framework to assess various options and optimise benefits from management actions. Read moreRead less
How effective are environmental flows? Novel approaches for monitoring and assessing ecological responses to large-scale flow alteration. Australia has begun a multi-billion dollar program to return water to stressed rivers as environmental flows. However, during times of unprecedented water scarcity, such an investment in the environment can be controversial because the ecological benefits of released water are mostly poorly understood. This project will demonstrate the effectiveness of environ ....How effective are environmental flows? Novel approaches for monitoring and assessing ecological responses to large-scale flow alteration. Australia has begun a multi-billion dollar program to return water to stressed rivers as environmental flows. However, during times of unprecedented water scarcity, such an investment in the environment can be controversial because the ecological benefits of released water are mostly poorly understood. This project will demonstrate the effectiveness of environmental flows, and promote greater understanding of the links between flow patterns and river health. The project will build upon existing knowledge to create a sound framework for planning, monitoring, and evaluation of environmental watering decisions across regional Australia, greatly improving our ability to sustainably manage rivers into the future.Read moreRead less
Extinction of turtles in the River Murray: Consequences and Solutions. Turtles are a major ecological component of the Murray-Darling, Australia’s major river system. They are declining alarmingly with potential dire consequences for water quality, biodiversity, and river health. This project unites a world-class research team with diverse industry partners, indigenous groups, and non-government organisations from three states to address a problem of national significance. This project aims to i ....Extinction of turtles in the River Murray: Consequences and Solutions. Turtles are a major ecological component of the Murray-Darling, Australia’s major river system. They are declining alarmingly with potential dire consequences for water quality, biodiversity, and river health. This project unites a world-class research team with diverse industry partners, indigenous groups, and non-government organisations from three states to address a problem of national significance. This project aims to identify and quantify causes of declines in turtles along the whole system, with the aim of developing practical management options to overcome it. This will be the first river-wide study of turtles, achieved by combining cutting-edge genetic and ecological techniques with a citizen science program.Read moreRead less
Systematic planning beyond conservation: a multi-objective, multi action framework for sustainable biodiversity. When planning for conservation in rivers, protecting plants and animals can not simply be achieved by protecting parts of a river. This project will develop a strategy to sustain freshwater biodiversity that will optimally allocate conservation and restoration resources and minimises negative socioeconomic impacts on stakeholders.
Conservation biology of the largest Australian freshwater tortoise, the broad-shelled tortoise, Chelodina expansa - rare and endangered or cryptic and secure? The Murray is a highly managed river, with flows controlled by catchments and diversions. The combined impacts of water resource development, habitat modification and introduced species are astonishingly diverse, and include extinctions of some fish and invertebrates and depression of populations of many other species. Australia's largest ....Conservation biology of the largest Australian freshwater tortoise, the broad-shelled tortoise, Chelodina expansa - rare and endangered or cryptic and secure? The Murray is a highly managed river, with flows controlled by catchments and diversions. The combined impacts of water resource development, habitat modification and introduced species are astonishingly diverse, and include extinctions of some fish and invertebrates and depression of populations of many other species. Australia's largest chelid turtle, the broad-shelled turtle, is a high-level consumer thought to be particularly sensitive to these changes. We will use an innovative combination of non-destructive technologies to investigate the conservation biology of this species in the Lower Murray, where it is regarded as rare and where its biology is virtually unknown to inform conservation management and restoration initiativesRead moreRead less
The importance of dispersal in maintaining biodiversity of aquatic plants in landscapes. Aquatic plants improve water quality and provide habitat for aquatic animals, which underpin industries such as tourism and commercial fisheries critical to economies in regional areas and across Australia. Preserving plant biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems is vital to preserve these benefits. Dispersal plays a critical role in maintaining plant biodiversity and requires understanding at landscape scales. T ....The importance of dispersal in maintaining biodiversity of aquatic plants in landscapes. Aquatic plants improve water quality and provide habitat for aquatic animals, which underpin industries such as tourism and commercial fisheries critical to economies in regional areas and across Australia. Preserving plant biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems is vital to preserve these benefits. Dispersal plays a critical role in maintaining plant biodiversity and requires understanding at landscape scales. This project will identify appropriate approaches for the conservation of plant biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems through an improved understanding of the contribution of wind, water and waterbirds in the dispersal of aquatic plants. This project will also identify water flow regimes that promote a diverse and sustainable aquatic flora.Read moreRead less
How arid zone wetlands persist: linking ecological dynamics with hydrological regimes . This project will investigate how aquatic food webs assemble and persist in mound springs, relict streams and river pools in the Australian arid zone. Knowing how aquatic systems respond to wet and dry phases is the first step towards ‘climate proofing ’ these systems against future extreme events.
Aquatic biodiversity: consequences of massive modification of agricultural landscapes. Agricultural landscapes have undergone great change. Significant shifts in land-use may sustain agricultural productivity, but nationally we risk the loss of our natural wealth - native plants and animals. This project develops a new vision for assessing conservation values of rural landscapes that will help land managers to plan for present and future land-use of both terrestrial and aquatic organisms. It wil ....Aquatic biodiversity: consequences of massive modification of agricultural landscapes. Agricultural landscapes have undergone great change. Significant shifts in land-use may sustain agricultural productivity, but nationally we risk the loss of our natural wealth - native plants and animals. This project develops a new vision for assessing conservation values of rural landscapes that will help land managers to plan for present and future land-use of both terrestrial and aquatic organisms. It will help managers to understand the biodiversity value of different landscapes, the types of species that may persist or be at risk of loss, and the landscape components that influence these outcomes. This knowledge will enhance our national capacity to jointly integrate nature conservation and agricultural productivityRead moreRead less
Explaining biodiversity. Why are there many species in some places and not in others? The aim of this project is to understand this in order to protect species, understand invasion and restore ecological systems. Using published food webs, this project will determine what factors underlie biodiversity, then use experiments to understand effects of habitat loss and climate change on food web structure.