Final Report
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final report knowledge for managing Australian landscapes Review of Principles and Tools for the Protection of Rivers Project number: QEH2 Princpal Investigator John Bennett Environmental Planning Branch Queensland Environmental Protection Agency Email: [email protected] Telephone: 07 3227 6453 Facsimile: 07 3227 7237 Published by: Postal address: GPO Box 2182, Canberra ACT 2601 Office location: Level 1, The Phoenix, 86-88 Northbourne Ave, Braddon ACT Telephone: 02 6263 6000 Facsimile: 02 6263 6099 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.lwa.gov.au Land & Water Australia © February 2001 Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is intended for general use, to assist public knowledge and discussion and to help improve the sustainable management of land, water and vegetation. It includes general statements based on scientific research. Readers are advised and need to be aware that this information may be incomplete or unsuitable for use in specific situations. Before taking any action or decision based on the information in this publication, readers should seek expert professional, scientific and technical advice and form their own view of the applicability and correctness of the information. To the extent permitted by law, the Commonwealth of Australia, Land & Water Australia (including its employees and consultants), and the authors of this publication do not assume liability of any kind whatsoever resulting from any person’s use or reliance upon the content of this publication. REVIEW OF PRINCIPLES AND TOOLS FOR THE PROTECTION OF RIVERS Phillips, N; Bennett, J and Moulton, D Queensland Environmental Protection Agency A Report for the National Rivers Consortium Contents Acknowledgments......................................................................................................i Executive Summary..................................................................................................ii 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................1 1.1 CONTEXT OF THIS REPORT......................................................................................................................................1 1.2 LINKS TO RELATED WORK........................................................................................................................................1 1.3 BACKGROUND ..........................................................................................................................................................2 1.3.1 Definitions......................................................................................................................................................2 1.3.2 Why protect rivers?.....................................................................................................................................2 1.3.3 What aspects of rivers do we want to protect?....................................................................................3 1.3.4 What are some of the complexities of river protection?....................................................................3 1.3.5 What are the consequences of not protecting?.....................................................................................3 1.3.6 How is river protection currently being addressed? ............................................................................4 1.4 DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A RIVER PROTECTION PLAN ..........................................................................4 1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS.........................................................................................................................................6 1.6 METHODS ..................................................................................................................................................................7 1.7 COMPONENTS OF THE REPORT...............................................................................................................................7 2 Principles of River Protection...........................................................................8 3 Developing a River Protection Plan .................................................................9 3.1 ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN............................................................................................................................................9 3.1.1 Key criteria for determining ecological value.........................................................................................9 3.1.2 Methods of assessing ecological value....................................................................................................12 3.1.3 Setting priorities for the protection of ecological value.....................................................................19 3.1.4 Protection instruments/processes ..........................................................................................................24 3.2 BARRIERS/CONSTRAINTS TO EFFECTIVE RIVER PROTECTION.............................................................................30 4 Case Studies Illustrating The Application Of Protection Principles And Tools ..................................................................................................................32 4.1 DRAFT MARY RIVER REHABILITATION PLAN (QUEENSLAND)............................................................................32 4.2 CAPEL RIVER ACTION PLAN (WESTERN AUSTRALIA) .........................................................................................37 4.3 MURRUMBIDGEE CATCHMENT ACTION PLAN (NEW SOUTH WALES).............................................................38 4.4 BARRON RIVER MANAGEMENT ACTION PLAN (QUEENSLAND)........................................................................41 5 How Does It All Fit Together?........................................................................43 6 Where to Go for More Information...............................................................44 7 Bibliography ......................................................................................................45 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Principles aimed at protecting rivers................................................................................ 8 Table 2 Criteria used to define ecological value........................................................................... 9 Table 3 Examples of attributes used to determine ecological value ......................................11 Table 4 Examples of methods for describing condition............................................................14 Table 5 Examples of methods for establishing ecological value ..............................................16 Table 6 Example of method for defining ecological value where little information is available and where minimal specialist skills are required.................................................18 Table 7 Example of method for defining ecological value where little information is available and where specialist skills are required (scoring table for naturalness) ........19 Table 8 Examples of methods used to establish relative ecological value ............................20 Table 9 Example of a priority setting process and examples of waterway management responses......................................................................................................................................21 Table 10 Biophysical reach prioritisation categories .................................................................22 Table 11 Potential instruments available for the protection of ecological values of rivers ........................................................................................................................................................26 Table 12 Summary of elements of rehabilitation frameworks used in developing the MRRP.............................................................................................................................................33 Table 13 Biophysical reach prioritisation categories .................................................................35 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Key elements in the development of a river protection plan.................................... 5 Figure 2 Contribution of ERAPSM to priority setting framework...........................................23 Figure 3 Continuum of river management activities..................................................................43 LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 EXAMPLES OF PLANNING PROCESSES FOR RIVERS APPENDIX 2 EXAMPLES OF PRINCIPLES OF RELEVANCE TO RIVER PROTECTION APPENDIX 3 EXAMPLES OF INSTRUMENTS OF RELEVANCE TO THE PROTECTION OF RIVERS APPENDIX 4 MANAGEMENT ROLES FOR WATERWAYS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The knowledge and resources of the following are gratefully acknowledged in the development of this document. Dr John Koehn, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, DNRE, Victoria Mr John Riddiford, North East Catchment Management Authority, Victoria Dr Helen Dunn, University of Tasmania Dr Luke Pen, Water Resources Commission, Western Australia Dr Phil Price, Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation (LWRRDC) Mr Norrie Sanders, Montgomery Watson Ms Belinda Cant, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, DNRE, Victoria Dr Allan Raine, New South Wales Department of Land and Water Conservation Dr Hugh Dawson, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology - Dorset, United Kingdom Professor Barry Hart, Monash University Mr