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Issue: Human response - policy and management - Management of aquatic biota and biodiversity

This is an issue under the Inland waters theme of the Data Reporting System.

Why we need to know about this issue

Native biota in river systems are under stress from a number of threats, such as barriers to movement up or downstream, poor water quality, including salinisation, reduction in habitat and competition from exotic species. Although recovery action is sometimes taken for individual species, long term population recovery requires that landscape scale threats to habitats and biodiversity be addressed through large scale policy and management initiatives

Indicators

• IW-36 Willow removal 
  Willow management provides an example of strong but localised community action intended to remove unwanted species from the environment. Community action is potentially useful to environmental management but this depends on the extent to which: decisions to act are based on sound information and science; efforts are coordinated to maximise outcomes; and effectiveness of actions are monitored and evaluated. In this case the critical issue is whether revegetation is undertaken at the same time as willow removal. If banks are left denuded of vegetation by willow removal, this is a matter of considerably greater environmental concern than the presence of willows.
• IW-45 Groundwater management plans that consider groundwater dependent ecosystems 
  Groundwater dependent ecosystems represent a small, but diverse and important component of Australia's biological diversity. The existence of groundwater management plans that consider groundwater dependent ecosystems is indicative of the extent to which this biodiversity issue is receiving consideration in water policy and management.
• IW-48 Ramsar wetlands with implemented management plans 
  The Ramsar Convention encourages the designation of sites containing representative, rare or unique wetland types, or that are important for conserving biological diversity. These sites need to be managed to ensure their special ecological values are maintained or improved. Number of sites with implemented management plans is indicative of the seriousness and likely effectiveness of the policy and management response to the needs of wetlands and their biodiversity.
• BD-03 Summary of measures being implemented to respond to threats to biodiversity from invasive species 
  Management of riparian and aquatic species includes management of introduced species such as mimosa, willows and carp.

Related issues

• Inland Waters - Human response - policy and management- Habitat management (including wetland management) 
• Inland Waters - Human response - policy and management- Environmental flows allocation and management 
• Inland Waters - Human response - policy and management- Management of surface and groundwaters 
• Inland Waters - Catchment scale influences- Hydrological condition- Ecological aspects of river flow regimes 
• Inland Waters - Habitat scale influences- In-stream habitat - woody debris and sand slugs