Wednesday, June 6, 2007 - 4:15 PM
303

Adaptive management for determining environmental flows

Michael Peat and Richard H. Norris. University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia

Environmental flows were introduced into the Cotter River in 1999 as a requirement of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Water Resources Act. A multi-disciplinary group comprised of a water utility, ACT government and research organisations was formed to manage the Cotter River environmental flows program through adaptive management. The objective for the group was to balance water supply demands and environmental water needs. Based on scientific knowledge, changes were made to the delivery of environmental flows during drought in 2002-2005 and after the January 2003 bushfires. Ongoing ecological assessment formed a major component of the adaptive management approach by informing decisions regarding flow release strategies. Subsequently the ecological outcomes of the new flow regime were assessed and formed a feedback loop for the decision making process.  Another major component of the adaptive management approach was the implementation of a study design that was able to cope with changing questions and unforeseen events such as drought and fire. The success of the environmental flows program has highlighted the importance of collaboration between a utility, government and research organisations to ensure a balance between water supply demands and environmental water needs. 

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