River health
The Australian Government has recently established a River Health Contact Group. The Group's purpose is to provide advice on river health indicators for the National Natural Resource Management Monitoring and Evaluation Framework's 'Inland Aquatic Ecosystems Integrity' Matter for Target. The River Health Contact Group comprises representatives from Australian Government, state and territory agencies.
River health assessment
Australian, State and Territory Governments, through the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council and its Committees are developing ways to consistently understand — to monitor and evaluate — river condition (river health). This work includes the development of nationally agreed ways to measure the condition of Australia's rivers. Agreement on the full list of Indicators of River Health is awaiting development of detailed protocols for their use.
To date, the only national measurements of river health have been made using the Australian River Assessment System (AusRivAS). AusRivAS uses macroinvertebrate diversity, and is currently being revised to increase its capability.
The Murray-Darling Basin Commission's Sustainable Rivers Audit (SRA) measures river health within the Murray-Darling Basin and is also undergoing further development.
See also
- Australian Water Resources 2005
- Coasts and oceans
- Lake Eyre Basin Agreement
- Living Murray Initiative
- Meteorological information for primary industry and natural resources management
- National Centre for Tropical Wetland Research
- National Framework for Improved Groundwater Management in Australia
- National Principles for the Provision of Water for Ecosystems
- Water for a Healthy Country Flagship
Key
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