Short-term effects of a prolonged blackwater event on aquatic fauna in the Murray River, Australia: considerations for future events

2012 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 576 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. King ◽  
Z. Tonkin ◽  
J. Lieshcke
Keyword(s):  
River System ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Murray River ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Short Term Effects

Blackwater contains high levels of dissolved organic carbon that can be rapidly consumed by microbes, sometimes leading to extremely low levels of dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) and drastic consequences for aquatic life, including fish kills. Drought-breaking rains in late 2010 inundated large areas of the Barmah–Millewa Forest, southern Murray–Darling Basin, Australia, and resulted in a prolonged hypoxic blackwater event within the forest and the Murray River downstream. This study investigated the short-term effects of the blackwater event on fish and crayfish. Compared with non-affected sites, blackwater affected sites had: significantly higher abundances of emerged Murray crayfish (Euastacus armatus) that were vulnerable to desiccation, predation and exploitation; large numbers of dead or dying shrimp and yabbies; significantly reduced abundances of native fish; but contained similar abundances of alien fish species (particularly common carp, Cyprinus carpio). The nature of the mechanisms that caused these changes and the longer term significance of the event on the river system remains an important area for future research. We also propose a range of management considerations for reducing the blackwater impacts, such as the timing of environmental water delivery after prolonged drought and the importance of maintaining river–floodplain connectivity during flood periods.

Water policy responses to drought in the MDB, Australia

Water Policy ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (S2) ◽  
pp. 28-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Horne
Keyword(s):  
Water Policy ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Short Term ◽  
National Budget ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Millennium Drought ◽  
Basin Water ◽  
Market Infrastructure

This paper reviews water policy responses to drought in Australia, focusing on the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) during the two decades from 1997. This period, which includes the decade long Millennium drought, brought a much sharper focus to discussions of scarcity and value of water. The drought initially focused attention on rising salinity and environmental water availability, as action on both was supported by strong science, and resonated politically. The drought became a crisis in 2006. Short-term planning focused on ensuring communities did not run out of water. For the longer term, the national government responded by announcing a major package of reform measures addressing sustainability and underlying scarcity, and recognising climate change. The package strengthened MDB water market infrastructure, upgraded water resource planning and the ability of irrigators to manage their water assets more flexibly, established new sustainable diversion limits and provided funding to ensure the environment received a larger share of basin water resources. But its completeness as a package can be attributed not only to the severity of drought, but also to political leadership, a disrupting strategy in the form of national legislation and a strong national budget that provided financial resources. The drought provided a crisis, but other ingredients were necessary to ensure effective action.

scholarly journals Shifting Goalposts: Setting Restoration Targets for Waterbirds in the Murray-Darling Basin Under Climate Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilad Bino ◽  
Kate Brandis ◽  
Richard T. Kingsford ◽  
John Porter
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
River System ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Restoration Targets ◽  
Murray Darling Basin

The Murray-Darling Basin (the Basin) is the largest river system in Australia, supplying about 40% of the country’s irrigated agricultural output. Associated water resource development has come with a heavy price for the Basin’s freshwater ecosystems degrading them over decades. Australian governments are attempting to achieve environmental sustainability by returning water to the environment through buy-back of irrigation licences and improved water efficiencies. To determine effectiveness, basin-wide management objectives were established for key indicators, including waterbird populations and life histories which can effectively indicate ecosystem function and condition, driven by flow and flooding regimes. Ongoing monitoring of waterbird numbers indicates continued declines. We evaluated the feasibility of meeting established waterbird objectives under existing and predicted climates. We modelled long-term waterbird numbers using one of the world’s largest ongoing waterbird surveys (1983–2020), covering about 13.5% of the area of the entire Basin. Our findings suggest that under near future climate change projections, waterbird numbers will likely continue to decline, and remain below restoration targets set for the Basin. We discuss the current policy settings for using environmental water to support waterbird populations, recommending adjustments to restore the Basin’s waterbird populations and their wetlands in order to meet Australia’s conservation targets in relation to the ongoing global crisis of biodiversity loss.

Patterns of invertebrate emergence and succession in flooded wetland mesocosms

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (10) ◽  
pp. 1373
Author(s):  
I. Growns ◽  
S. Lewis ◽  
D. Ryder ◽  
W. Tsoi ◽  
B. Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Water ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Floodplain Wetlands ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
The North ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Secondary Consumers ◽  
Short Time

Floodplain wetlands are some of the most productive ecosystems available to aquatic and terrestrial organisms. However, regulation of lowland rivers can disrupt ecological processes occurring in the river–floodplain ecosystems, and environmental water can be delivered to affected wetlands to maintain productivity. It is not well understood at what stage following inundation there would be sufficient invertebrate biomass and large-sized individuals to support production and reproduction of secondary consumers. In this study we follow changes in the abundances of invertebrates after wetting in three mesocosm trials using soil from two wetlands from the north of the Murray–Darling Basin over 6-week periods. Peak abundances generally occurred in either the fifth or sixth weeks, but abundances were high after 2–3 weeks. Our results suggest that inundation of wetlands using environmental watering can achieve high productivity within a short time frame, within weeks. However, how quickly the high productivity is passed on to second-order consumers remains unclear and should be an area of future research.

Barmah-Millewa forest environmental water allocation

2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 217-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Stewart ◽  
B. Harper
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Water Allocation ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Ramsar Convention ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Murray River ◽  
International Importance ◽  
Developing Area

The formal allocation of water for the environment is a developing area of river management both scientifically and in terms of community participation. This case study, illustrating the recent use of the Barmah-Millewa Forest Environmental Water Allocation (EWA), provides a practical demonstration of community participation in environmental water management, the application of hydrological and biological “triggers” and a positive, demonstrable biological outcome from an environmental water allocation. The Barmah-Millewa Forest covers an area of 70,000 ha across the floodplain of the Murray River, upstream of the town of Echuca. About half the forest is in NSW (Millewa) and half is in Victoria (Barmah). The Barmah Forest is a Wetland of International Importance listed under the Convention on Wetlands - Ramsar Convention. The forest is the largest river redgum forest in the world. The natural flooding cycle associated with the forest has been significantly altered by regulation of the Murray River - impacting upon the overall health of the forest ecosystem. Recognising this, the Murray Darling Basin Commission developed a water management strategy for the forest to enhance forest, fish and wildlife values. To implement this strategy, between 1990 and 1993 reports were completed and community consultation took place. In 1993 the Murray Darling Basin Ministerial Council approved allocation of 100 Gigalitres of water per year, provided in equal shares by NSW and Victoria, to meet the needs of the forest ecosystem and in 1994 the Barmah-Millewa Forum was established under the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement. The vision for the Forum is to maintain and, where possible, improve the ecological and productive sustainability of the Barmah-Millewa Forest and to establish a planning and operational framework to better meet the flooding and drying requirements of the riparian forests and wetlands. Between October 2000 and January 2001 the Barmah-Millewa Forest Environmental Water Allocation was used for the second time. A total of 341 GL was released as an EWA. This amount represented only 8% of the total flows downstream of Yarrawonga Weir from September 2000 and January 2001. The strategic use of the relatively small amount of water enabled flooding to be maintained and ensured significant breeding success for water birds and other biota in the Forest.

scholarly journals Establishing Environmental Water Requirements for the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia's Largest Developed River System

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1153-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Swirepik ◽  
I. C. Burns ◽  
F. J. Dyer ◽  
I. A. Neave ◽  
M. G. O'Brien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River System ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Water Requirements ◽  
Murray Darling Basin

scholarly journals Justice, science, or collaboration: divergent perspectives on Indigenous cultural water in Australia's Murray–Darling Basin

Water Policy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Bischoff-Mattson ◽  
Amanda H. Lynch ◽  
Lee Joachim
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Distributive Justice ◽  
Q Methodology ◽  
River System ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Collaborative Management ◽  
Ecosystem Conservation ◽  
Murray Darling Basin

Abstract The concept of ‘Indigenous cultural water’ has emerged in Australia's Murray–Darling Basin in the context of sweeping reforms to provide environmental water allocations for ecosystem conservation. We discuss the concept of cultural water, its origins, and its function as a means of representing and advancing Indigenous interests in a fully allocated and heavily developed river system. Cultural water remains a contested and ambiguous frame for policy, providing ample scope for conflict over appropriate goals, standards, and efficacy. We used Q methodology to elucidate the structure and content of perspectives on Indigenous cultural water as a prospective frame for policy. Our results illustrate distinct views on cultural water relative to distributive justice and restitution, the role of science and technical experts, and prospects for collaborative management. They also illustrate nuanced perspectives on the relation between cultural and environmental water management. Clarifying goals and reconciling divergent expectations around cultural water is likely to be an ongoing challenge. We note that uncertainty surrounding the concept may ultimately function to open discursive spaces to alternative perspectives and innovations, and this would be supported by contextual approaches, grounded in place-based prototyping.

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