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July 2008 |
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Ecological research on icon site reveals decreasing biodiversityScientists studying one of Australia’s most significant water systems, the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth, have revealed that the current drought and lack of water inflows is changing state of the region’s ecology. At an April 4 science briefing to 100 stakeholders in Goolwa, at the Mouth of the Murray, the CLLAMMecology Research Cluster team shared its discovery of the extent of environmental degradation, which has seen much of the estuary’s ecology contract to a small area around the Murray Mouth. Supported through the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship scheme, the study is the first comprehensive research program for this estuary. The three-year, $5.3 million research project aims to improve the ecological health of the region and protect threatened birds and fish. The partnership comprises CSIRO, the University of Adelaide, Flinders University, SARDI Aquatic Sciences, and the South Australian Department of Environment and Heritage.
Cluster Leader, Associate Professor Justin Brookes from the University of Adelaide’s School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, says the low water flow down the Murray is having a profound effect on how bird and animal species behave around the Coorong region near the river mouth. “Through our research we have seen an increase in salinity and a decrease in biodiversity in the southern end of the Coorong,” Assoc. Prof. Brookes says. “No single part of the system can be restored without a whole-of-system approach. The work we are doing will help with allocating limited water resources so they have the required environmental benefits.” The research team is producing a dynamic model of the extent and quality of the habitat, enabling researchers and water managers to predict the impact of changes in water flow.
Dr Sebastien Lamontagne, CSIRO research leader, says water modelling and climate prediction work will greatly benefit the long-term prospects of the region. “For the first time we will be able to include potential long-term assessments for the Coorong in a meaningful way,” Dr Lamontagne says. “The tools developed in this Cluster will directly link management action to expected outcomes for fish and bird populations. “We need to find the optimum combination of management levers, such as barrage releases, Murray Mouth dredging and water releases from the Upper South East drainage scheme, to gain the maximum environmental benefits,” he says. The Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth form an internationally renowned region in South Australia - one of six iconic sites identified by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission’s Living Murray Initiative. The study aims to deliver a set of ecosystem-level models which can be used to evaluate alternative future scenarios within the larger Coorong region, through four key research activities. It includes documenting the responses of key species to changes in aquatic environments under different management systems. For example, the study is examining species that offer a conservation value (migratory waders), ecosystem value (aquatic plant) or recreational value (black bream or mulloway). A number of management agencies are supporting the research program, including the SA Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, the Land and Water Australia and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. Funding for the research comes from the collaborating institutions and $2.2 million from the Flagship Collaboration Fund, designed to bring together the Australian research community to address critical national challenges. Contact:
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