For
Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (CEWO)
In Partnership with
University of Melbourne, Goulburn Broken CMA, Streamology, Arthur Rylah Institute, Monash University, DELWP, Jacobs, Victorian Environmental Water Holder
Of interest to
Individuals and organisations, including government bodies with environmental water allocations
- wishing to demonstrate the value of environmental water
- to enable adaptive management of environmental flows
Background
Monitoring and evaluation of environmental watering on the Lower Goulburn River is part of a large-scale program across the Murray- Darling Basin. The current program started in 2014 as a long-term intervention monitoring (LTIM) program and in 2019 become a monitoring, evaluation and reporting program, the MER Goulburn.
Key Points
- The aim is to understand ecological outcomes for waterbugs (macroinvertebrates), vegetation and fish
- We use waterbugs (macroinvertebrates) sampling, plus targeting large-bodied crustaceans sampling and monitor algal responses
- Results to date show that shrimp and prawn populations vary over time; that populations increase after spring freshes and during summer
- Shrimps and prawns form a key component in the food web in the Goulburn River system, being fish food
- We are currently investigating whether population variation is natural or in responses to flow.
Expected completion date
2024
For more information, see the accompanying documents or contact: Claudette.Kellar@rmit.edu.au
#environmental flows #ecological response #water holder entitlements #Goulburn Broken CMA #partnerships
Eight years in- Perspectives on the outcomes of environmental watering in the Lower Goulburn River
