Adaptive management in alpine streams: Closing the feedback loop between assessment and management

Alpine streams are at the top of catchments and are usually only affected by activities in the immediate area. Therefore, identification of causes of ecological damage is straightforward. Regular assessment allows identification of short-term incidents in the context of long-term trends related to management actions. Biological assessment of alpine streams in Kosciuszko National Park, Australia, over the last 15 yrs has identified continued impairment at sites downstream of resort activities. Settling pond collapse and treatment plant failure incidents have been assessed accurately against long-term data.  There is also, a distinct long-term trend over winter at sites downstream of car parks and roads showing impaired biological health coupled with elevated sediment and electrical conductivity (EC) from de-icing practices. Managers are informed of ecological effects through seasonal summary reports upon which decisions are made regarding ski resort practises. Management changes have included placement of ploughed car park snow adjacent to, instead of directly over, Perisher Ck. The latter being a practise that raised EC levels to over 20 times the guideline limit. Annually a comprehensive report is submitted analysing long-term trends, reporting on the effectiveness of management decisions and commenting on the recovery ability of the streams following impact events.