SoE 2011 – Inland water chapter overview

www.environment.gov.au/soe

SoE 2011 – Inland water chapter overview

This presentation is one of a series of Australia State of the Environment 2011 (SoE 2011) presentations given by SoE Committee members and departmental staff following the release of the SoE 2011.

This material was developed to be delivered as part of an oral presentation. The full report should be referred to for understanding the context of this information.

For more information please refer to:http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/index.htmlOr contact the SoE team via email:[email protected]


New cover page

Presentation – Inland water chapter overviewPhoto: Aerial view of the Pilbara, by Andrew Griffiths, Lensaloft


State of the Environment reporting has improved

SoE 2011 is the fourth independent national assessment

Detailed analyses, wide range of information sources, comprehensively referenced, includes outlooks

Rigorous and transparent peer review process

High relevance to decision-makers and environmental managers


State of the Environment 2011 Committee

Chair

Tom Hatton (Group Executive, Energy, CSIRO)

Members

Steven Cork (research ecologist and futurist)

Peter Harper (Deputy Australian Statistician)

Rob Joy (School of Global Studies, Social Science & Planning, RMIT)

Peter Kanowski (Fenner School of Environment & Society, ANU)

Richard Mackay (heritage specialist, Godden Mackay Logan)

Neil McKenzie (Chief, CSIRO Land and Water)

Trevor Ward (marine and fisheries ecologist)

Barbara Wienecke – ex officio (Australian Antarctic Division, DSEWPaC)


Purpose of SoE 2011

Provide relevant and useful information on environmental issues to the public and decision-makers...

… to raise awareness and support more informed environmental management decisions …

… leading to more sustainable use and effective conservation of environmental assets.


Strengths of SoE 2011

Detailed analyses, wide range of information sources, comprehensively referenced

Discussion of the major drivers of environmental change

Analyses of issues that are highly relevant to environmental decision-makers and managers

Report-card style assessments of condition, pressures and management effectiveness

Discussions of current resilience, future risks and outlooks

Rigorous and transparent peer review process


SoE 2011 Products


Full Report In Brief Supplementary Products


Assessment summaries in the report


Drivers chapter – context for rest of SoE

How are a changing climate, population growth and economic growth creating pressures on our environment?


Headlines (in Summary chapter)

17 headlines in

summary chapter

give a high level

overview of the

big issues


Key Findings (in theme chapters)

‘key findings’

give an

overview of

more specific

conclusions

for each

theme


Key findings Pressures caused by past as well as ongoing human

activities continue to affect our inland waters, and climate change poses our largest future threat

A decade of drought severely affected southern inland water systems; subsequent floods will show how well ecosystems recover from prolonged and extreme changes in water regime

Many of our inland waters systems, particularly in the north, are relatively intact

Water quality does not meet guidelines in settled areas


Key findings

The past decade was Australia’s most ambitious period of water policy reform, but responsibly meeting our needs for water remains a national challenge

Water prices rose, and Australia started to use less water

Water reforms, via the water market, have helped to secure environmental flows and support ecosystem services

Our metropolitan areas made massive investments in new water infrastructure to secure future supplies

There was a diminished focus on managing catchment water quality issues, including salinity


The last ten years – a decade of change

Ambitious water policy reform

National Water Initiative

Water Act 2007 – new arrangements for the MDB

Water for the Future

Worst and longest droughts Australia has ever seen

Widespread and unprecedented flooding

Widespread acceptance by the public and governments that Australia’s climate is changing


State and trends of inland water environments

Many of Australia’s inland water environments are degraded

Southern Australia degraded from high levels of water resource development, compounded by extended drought

Northern Australia and Tasmania generally in good condition

Nutrient levels in guidelines are exceeded in all metropolitan areas and most areas of intensive agriculture

Water quality monitoring and analysis is inconsistent and sparse – trends difficult to identify


Water quality: nitrogen


Water quality: phosphorus


Ecological processes and species populations

Study by NWC in 2005

Stream habitats in more than half the nation’s length were assessed as modified from pre-European conditions

Main causes of habitat degradation:

Changes in sediment loads

Loss of riparian vegetation

Condition of habitats worst in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia


River basin condition: Western Australia


Waterbird abundance: eastern Australia


Threatened frog species


Pressures affecting inland water environments

Legacy pressures

Climate variability and climate change

Water resource development

Land use and management

Pests and invasive species

Photo by Nick Barnes


Australian rainfall in 2010


Inflows to Perth surface water supply catchments


Current and predicted distribution of the cane toad


Occurrence of nationally significant weed species of particular concern to inland water systems


Management effectiveness – outcomes


Resilience – need for better understanding

Darling River in flood, January 2010, New South WalesPhoto by Denise Fowler, courtesy of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority


Current and emerging risks to inland water environments

Changed water balances, flow regimes and inundation patterns

Increased pollution and loss of habitat associated with urban expansion

Damage to inland water environments from invasive species and water abstraction


Outlook for inland water environments Potential to:

Meet projected growth in population and maintain prosperity Improve protection of inland water environments In places, reverse historical and detrimental flow regime changes

Reliant on:

Full realisation of National Water Initiative principles Urban water strategies with mix of demand management, water

recycling and desalination

Uncertainties: Consequences of a changing climate Resilience of inland water environments to drought/floods


Strengths and limits of SoE

Describes trends over time where possible, and lessons

Highlights current and future issues of management concern

Was designed to assist decision-makers

Provides critical information, but can only be impactful if decision-makers consider it and use it

For more information email: [email protected]

To order copiesemail: [email protected]

Or read it online: www.environment.gov.au/soe

SoE 2011 – Inland water chapter overview

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