Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 9.1: South East Queensland Ecosystem Health Monitoring
Program, Australia
This is a well-established and ongoing monitoring programme for
water resource condition operating in south east Queensland, 'to assess
the effectiveness of management and planning activities aimed at
improving SEQ's waterways' (SEQHWP 2010). The programme reports
on the health of freshwater ecosystems and estuary/marine ecosystems.
The freshwater health rating is based on combining five indicators:
O
Physical and chemical indicator (combining pH, conductivity,
temperature, dissolved oxygen);
O
Nutrient cycling indicator (combining nitrogen stable isotope
signature, algal bioassay of nutrients);
O
Ecosystem processes indicator (combining algal growth, carbon
stable isotope signature, benthic metabolism);
O
Aquatic macro-invertebrates indicator (combining number of taxa,
PET richness, SIGNAL score);
O
Fish indicator (combining percentage of native species expected,
ratio of observed to expected native species, proportion alien fish).
The results are aggregated at a subcatchment level. A graphical
presentation of the results is shown in Figure 9.1 (see colour plates).
The visual portrayal of the Report Card data and accompanying detailed water
quality monitoring assists in prioritising efforts by municipalities and land
management agencies of where to focus resources such as upgrading sewage
treatment facilities and riparian rehabilitation. Thus it is used on an ongoing
basis to refine management, not just at plan review periods. It is also a key
mechanism for ongoing community awareness and engagement, fostered
more recently by the ability to download conditions as an iPhone app. For the
latest status, we refer readers to the Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program
on www.healthywaterways.org.
Like economic monitoring, ecosystem condition monitoring programmes
may not be helpful for evaluating water resource plans if they are unable
to differentiate effects of factors outside of the scope of the water resource
plan from effects of the water resource plan. One way of addressing this is
to use thorough scientific studies in representative locations to establish and
confirm causal relationships between water regime characteristics (outputs of
a water resource plan) and ecosystem condition (objectives) with other factors
kept constant, then rely solely on monitoring outputs that are known to be
conducive to the desired ecosystem condition. For example, consider the
chain of action/output/objective shown in Figure 9.3.
