Download Status of wetlands in Northern Australia

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Northern Australia floodplain and
coastal wetlands
Max Finlayson
National Centre for Tropical Wetland Research
Darwin, NT
Northern Australia floodplain and
coastal wetlands
Aim
Participation
Geographic Region / Location
Data sources / Scale
Components
Next steps
Aim
Provide information on the floodplain
and coastal ecosystems and their
services at multiple scales and taking
into account multiple pressures
Geographic Region / Location
Northern Australia – east of Darwin
Coastal biogeographic region
Alligator Rivers – 28 000 km2
Catchments of three rivers
Kakadu National Park – World Heritage
& Ramsar listed
Geographic Region / Location
Participation
Discussed through existing panels, boards
•
•
•
•
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Biophysical scientists
Social scientists
Management agencies
Local community / indigenous
Private sector
Data sources
• Information derived from current or
planned projects
• Biophysical features – extensive; ready
access
• Social/cultural features – extensive;
discuss access
• Floodplain services – variable; derived
from biophysical data and managers
• Pressures – extensive analyses; risk
assessments underway
Scale
• Biogeographical or catchment scale
1:100 000 to 1:250 000
• Catchment scales 1:50 000 to 1:100 000
• Habitats / river reaches 1:10 000
Components
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•
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Inventory/mapping – GIS multiple scale
Floodplain services – indigenous,
biodiversity, tourism, recreation (fish
stocks, mitigation of climate change, cattle
grazing)
Risk assessment of major pressures –
invasive species, water pollution,
infrastructure, burning, climate change
Hierarchical approach to
wetland inventory
Level 1
Scale (nominal)
1:1 000 000
Geology;
climate;
landcover
River basin or island
Level 2
1:250 000
Location; altitude; area;
land systems; climate; hydrology;
vegetation
Wetland region
Level 3
Wetland complex
1:50 000
Location; physico-chemical and biological
features; classification; jurisdiction; ecosystem
services
Level 4
Location; physico-chemical and biological features (ecological
character); land tenure; land use; management issues and threats...
Basic (“Core”) dataset
stored in Database with GIS Interface
Wetland habitat
10
The Risk
Assessment
Framework
(modified from van Dam et al. 1999; Ramsar 2000)
Identification of the problem
(eg site assessment: sitespecific information on
stressor & environment)
Analysis
Identification of the effects
(field assessment: eg bioassays,
monitoring, surveys etc.)
Identification of the extent
of the problem
(eg chemical concs,spatial &
temporal distribution)
Identification of the risk
(comparison of effects with the
extent using a GIS framework)
Risk management/
Risk reduction
(manage inputs/
alter practices)
Monitoring
(use of early warning and
rapid assessment indicators/
GIS-based approach)
Major pressures
Major pressures – insidious effects of
climate change
Next steps
Further consultation – with participants,
advisors and stakeholders
Collation / analysis – based on previous and
current projects
Communication – discussing and finalising
analyses and outcomes
Thank you