Abstract for presentation at Biodiversity Extinction Crisis Conference - A Pacific Response

A Decision Support Tool to Evaluate Aquatic Biodiversity

  • Dr Liza Miller, Rivers and Wetlands Unit, Science and Policy Division, NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, PO Box A290 Sydney South, Australia
  • Kylie Russell, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens Fisheries Centre, Locked Bag 1, Nelson Bay, NSW, 2315, Australia
  • Mark Case, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens Fisheries Centre, Locked Bag 1, Nelson Bay, NSW, 2315, Australia

    • We describe a decision support tool for Catchment Management Authorities to make informed decisions for conserving and enhancing aquatic biodiversity within their region. Catchment Management Authorities are locally focused organisations that coordinate natural resource management issues within their particular region. In New South Wales many CMAs regard river health as a critical issue in supporting and sustaining freshwater ecological processes. However, CMAs are often confounded by a lack of in-house expertise and the opportunity to make educated decisions for conserving and enhancing aquatic biodiversity within their region. We developed a decision support tool to provide CMAs with the opportunity to make informed decisions for conserving and enhancing aquatic biodiversity within their region. We present a method for gauging aquatic biodiversity at the site level that is practical, useful and compatible with existing policy frameworks. Our work will provide CMAs with an opportunity to assess the relative priority of aquatic biodiversity in all locations across their region and ameliorate risks to aquatic biodiversity in light of proposed management activities. This approach offers a framework for CMAs to direct on-ground works by private landholders with the ultimate aim of achieving broad scale conservation of native biodiversity. Hence CMAs will be able to evaluate the potential biodiversity associated with aquatic ecosystems present at a particular site and gauge onsite threats that may be mitigating aquatic biodiversity. Where appropriate we provide linkages to a catchment-level prioritisation and offer CMAs a framework for making site-level assessments of aquatic biodiversity and decisions on natural resource management outcomes.

    Conference Organiser - ICMS Pty Ltd