Publications about environmental water issues
Waterlines reports
Guidance on ecological responses and hydrological modelling for low-flow water planning - Waterlines report No 76 - March 2012
Organises the key findings of the investigations around typical water planning steps so that the information is more accessible to water planners and managers.
Ecological limits of hydrologic alteration: a test of the ELOHA framework in south-east Queensland - Waterlines report No 75 - March 2012
Provides information on how to apply the ELOHA framework, collects flow and ecological data, and has produces a classification of rivers and streams based on these flow/ecology relationships to help managers and water planners in south-east Queensland.
National waterbird assessment - Waterlines report No 74 - March 2012
Outlines the results of the 2008 National Waterbird Survey and analyses trends based on 27 years of data from the Australian Eastern Aerial Surveys.
Framework for the assessment of river and wetland health (FARWH) - Waterlines report No 58 - September 2011
Presents a summary of the findings from the state trials of the Framework for Assessment of River and Wetland Health (FARWH).
Watering floodplain wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin for native fish - Waterlines report No 56 - September 2011
Explores how best to use environmental water in floodplain wetlands to optimise benefits to native fish.
Sulfidic sediments in inland waterways - Waterlines report No 55 - September 2011
Presents findings and recommendations on how to appropriately manage wetlands in inland Australia to minimise the accumulation of sulfidic sediments and remediate systems which are affected.
Improving environmental water planning and policy outcomes: ecological responses to flow regimes in the Murray-Darling Basin - Waterlines report No 34 - November 2010
Assists water managers to improve and justify the delivery of environmental water to protect the MDB.
The importance of headwater streams - Waterlines report No 25 - December 2009
Examines the headwaters of Australian rivers, which can constitute 75 per cent or more of a stream length in a drainage basin.
A national synthesis of river restoration projects - Waterlines report No 23 - November 2009
Recommends the collection and synthesising of information on Australian river restoration efforts - a national database would be useful to a wide range of audiences.
Floodplain ecosystems: resilience, value of services and principles for diverting water - Waterlines report No 22 - October 2009
Examines the application of resilience thinking to the social and economic elements of floodplain systems, including the role of managers and social and political connectivity.
Resilience and thresholds in river ecosystems - Waterlines report 21 - September 2009
Explores the principles underpinning resilience thinking, and their potential application for improving the management of Australian river ecosystems.
Improving environmental sustainability in water planning - Waterlines report No 20 - September 2009
Explores the reasons why a consistent national approach to achieving environmental sustainability in water planning has been difficult.
Gap analysis and strategy development for national level estuary environmental flows policies - Waterlines report No 17 - July 2009
Provides a clear picture of the existing practice, legislation, regulation protocols, institutional and governance models and management regimes regarding estuary environmental flow management.
Pulsed flows: Environmental costs and benefits and best practice - Waterlines report No 16 - May 2009
Examines whether pulsed flows achieve ecological benefits, and if so, how they might be implemented in river management.
Recovery pathways after flow restoration in rivers - Waterlines report No 15 - February 2009
Identifies and describes current work on recovery pathways after flow restoration in rivers, so that knowledge gaps and directions for future investment can be identified.
Bayesian modelling for risk-based environmental water allocation - Waterlines report No 14 - February 2009
Reviews the application of Bayesian models for use in the determination and management of environmental flow allocations.
Identification and management of refuges for aquatic organisms - Waterlines report No 11 - November 2008
Summarises what is known about threats and refuges for different ecosystems, refuges for diverse aquatic taxa, refuges for biodiversity, principal refuges and rehabilitation and restoration in the refuge context. The report also identifies knowledge gaps and sets out principles for managing refuges for freshwater biota.
Subsurface groundwater-dependent ecosystems - Waterlines report No 8 - October 2008
Part of a series of Waterlines papers exploring issues relating to aquatic ecosystems in Australia, and identifying significant current gaps in knowledge associated with environmental water management.
Other publications
Australian environmental water management report 2012 - May 2012
Presents a comprehensive roadmap of Australia's current environmental water management arrangements and chart progress since the publication of the Commission’s 2010 baseline report.
Water regime for wetland and floodplain plants - September 2011
Captures the wealth of research knowledge generated over the past decade about effective vegetation management as part of the ecology of our inland wetland and floodplain systems.
Australian environmental water management report 2010 - December 2010
Presents a comprehensive picture of Australia's current environmental water management arrangements.