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Identifying and Protecting Rivers of High Ecological Value Land & Water Resources Research & Development Corporation Occasional Paper No 01/00 Identifying and Protecting Rivers of High Ecological Value Helen Dunn The National Rivers Consortium is a consortium of policy makers, river managers and scientists. Its vision is to achieve continuous improvement in the health of Australia's rivers. The role of the Consortium is coordination and leadership in river restoration and protection, through sharing and enhancing the skills and knowledge of its members. Partners making a significant financial contribution to the National Rivers Consortium and represented on the Board of Management are: Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation Murray-Darling Basin Commission Water and Rivers Commission, Western Australia CSIRO Land and Water Published by: Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation GPO Box 2182 Canberra ACT 2601 Telephone: (02) 6257 3379 Facsimile: (02) 6257 3420 Email: [email protected] WebSite: www.lwrrdc.gov.au © LWRRDC Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication has been published by LWRRDC to assist public knowledge and discussion and to help improve the sustainable management of land, water and vegetation. Where technical information has been prepared by or contributed by authors external to the Corporation, readers should contact the author(s), and conduct their own enquiries, before making use of that information. Publication data: ‘Identifying and Protecting Rivers of High Ecological Value’, Helen Dunn, LWRRDC Occasional Paper 01/00. ISSN: 1320-0992 ISBN: 0 642 76018 7 Author: Dr Helen Dunn University of Tasmania School of Geography and Environmental Studies GPO Box 252–78 Hobart TAS 7001 Telephone: (03) 6226 1747 Facsimile: (03) 6226 2989 Email: [email protected] Edited and designed by: Green Words & Images, Canberra Printed by: Elect Printing, Canberra August 2000 Contents 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 2 River assessment: concepts, models and approaches ................................................................... 8 3 Identifying rivers of high ecological value in Australia ...................................................................................................................................... 23 4 Applying the framework................................................................................................................ 41 5 Protecting rivers of high ecological value .................................................................................... 50 6 Conclusions and recommendations ............................................................................................. 59 Appendix: The survey of river experts and managers, April to June 1999..................................... 66 References ............................................................................................................................................ 74 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 79 iii List of abbreviations ANZECC Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council ARMCANZ Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand AusRivAS Australian River Assessment Scheme BAS Bioregional Aquatic System CAR Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative DLWC Department of Land and Water Conservation (NSW) DNRE Department of Natural Resources and Environment (Victoria) EPA Environment Protection Agency (Queensland) GBRMPA Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority GIS Geographical information system JANIS Joint ANZECC–MCFFA National Forests Policy Statement Implementation Subcommittee LWRRDC Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation NRSMPA National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas PLUC Public Land Use Commission (Tasmania) RCC River Continuum Concept RIVPACS River Invertebrate Prediction And Classification Scheme SERCON System for Evaluating Rivers for Conservation TWINSPAN Two Way Indicator Species Analysis WIPDIP Water Infrastructure Planning and Development and Implementation Plan (Queensland) WREP Water Resources Environmental Planning (Queensland) iv Summary The report describes, analyses and evaluates approaches to the assessment of river systems and conservation values in other types of ecosystem. The report concludes that there is no readily available strategy for identification of the ecological value of rivers. In addition, there is no overview of the aspects of river systems or river sections which constitute ecological value. Themes, concepts and models applied in the assessment of conservation value of other ecosystems are melded with current approaches to river assessment for more limited purposes. This forms the basis of proposed approaches to identification of rivers of high ecological value. Four complementary processes are discussed: using principles of design for Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative areas for protection; classifying rivers into categories for management of conservation values; using indices to make comparisons and monitor the conservation status of rivers; and defining an ecological value profile for a river as a component of catchment management. A series of criteria and attributes will form the basis of identification assessment. The attributes were confirmed and validated by an extensive survey of scientists and river managers. The attributes may be used Australia-wide and in any of the processes outlined. Consideration is given to the bases of comparison for decisions about ecological value and information sources are suggested. Mechanisms for the protection of rivers of high ecological value are briefly canvassed. Protection will need to be addressed on a number of fronts, including legislation, policy implementation, management and community support. The report provides some key ideas, strategies and issues which will form a focus for implementation and further research. The report highlights the range of significant ecological values that reside in Australia’s river systems and the need to address biodiversity conservation for riverine ecosystems. v 1 Introduction 1.1 The conservation status of Resources Council, 1992). In contrast, rivers of the Australia’s rivers Timor Sea Drainage Division, one of the northern drainage divisions with a sparse population, are mostly The Australia State of the Environment report classed as ‘pristine’ or ‘near-pristine’ (Water and Rivers (Department of Environment, Sport and Territories, Commission, 1997). A similar picture emerges from 1996a) paints a bleak picture of the environmental state of environment reports in other States. status of Australia’s rivers. In the 200 years since white In summary, the Australia State of the Environment settlement land clearance, water regulation, impacts on report (Department of Environment, Sport and water quality, river engineering and introduced species Territories, 1996a) concludes that, in relation to rivers: have had a massive impact on natural riverine and • Aquatic habitat quality has deteriorated markedly in floodplain environments. The report suggests that ‘most areas of agriculture, urban land use and substantial rivers in the lowlands and in agricultural catchments are water regulation. degraded, with moderate to severe disturbance of riparian and channel habitats as well as increases in • In many parts of Australia (such as the wet tropics salinity, decreases in flow, changes in flow regimes and and mountainous areas) where such changes have not increased sediment loads’ (Department of Environment, occurred, aquatic habitat is still of high quality. Sport and Territories, 1996a, p7-6). Water storage for • The area of natural wetland has significantly reduced power generation, water supply and irrigation has since European settlement. permanently altered the nature of many of the largest • Regulation, physical barriers, erosion, de-snagging, rivers. This has had consequences not only for instream channel modification, introduced species, pollution processes and biota but also for floodplains and and algal blooms have all substantially altered and wetlands. Most unregulated rivers occur in sparsely degraded river habitat quality. inhabited parts of the country such as far northern and central Australia. Australia has the highest per capita • The range and abundance of many species of native water storage of all countries in an effort to moderate aquatic biota have declined significantly, to the point the impact of its variable rainfall (Department of where many are threatened and endangered. Environment, Sport and Territories, 1996a). The river • The introduction, spread and establishment of a large systems of the more populous coastal plains in all parts number of exotic biota…have had significant effects of the country exhibit the greatest modifications to the on the biological communities and habitats of inland natural condition. waters (Department of Environment, Sport and Damage to river and stream ecosystems is Territories, 1996a, p7-33). widespread (Blyth, 1983; Lake & Marchant, 1990). State of environment reports focus largely on condition. In Victoria most streams and rivers exhibit seriously The wild rivers assessment (Stein et al., n.d.) was a degraded water quality and aquatic life (Victorian