Issue: Catchment scale influences - Hydrological condition - Connectivity - dams, weirs, regulators and levees
This is an issue under the Inland waters theme of the Data Reporting System.
Why we need to know about this issue
The construction of dams and weirs, the regulation of flows and the alterations in the physical habitat of our rivers and streams is changing the connectivity of aquatic systems. Connectivity is vital for the survival of riverine and floodplain species where active upstream and downstream migration or passive downstream drift is a vital feature of their life cycle. The very large number of control structures on Australian rivers means that the life cycle of many aquatic species is disrupted.
Indicators
- IW-11 Number of licences dams, weirs, regulators and levees
Dams and weirs reduce the connectivity of rivers and streams, which interfere with the movement of sediment and nutrients and the dispersal of the biota. Number of weirs and dam is a crude but direct measure of this interference.
Related issues
- Inland Waters - Catchment scale influences- Hydrological condition- Ecological aspects of river flow regimes
- Inland Waters - Habitat scale influences- Riparian vegetation
- Inland Waters - Habitat scale influences- Fish passage
- Inland Waters - Human response - policy and management- Environmental flows allocation and management
- Inland Waters - Human response - policy and management- Habitat management (including wetland management)
- Inland Waters - Human response - policy and management- Management of aquatic biota and biodiversity
- Inland Waters - Catchment scale influences- Hydrological condition- Surface-water availability and human use
Key
Links to another web site
Links to data in the DRS
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