Development and implementation of the framework for the assessment of river and wetland health (FARWH) in SW WA
Project details
| Objective: | To contribute to the evaluation of the FARWH and its relationship to existing state and territory river health monitoring and assessment programs. |
| Funding: | $1,200,000 plus applicable GST from the Australian Government and $300,000 plus applicable GST from the Western Australian Government towards a total project value of $1,500,000. |
| Jurisdiction: | WA |
| Commenced: | June 2008 |
| Completed: | December 2010 |
About the project
This project will facilitate the take up and adoption of a key Australian Water Resources 2005 (AWR 2005) product, by building on the Framework for the Assessment of River and Wetland Health (FARWH) and improving its national applicability. FARWH is a broadscale monitoring framework which, when complete and operational, will have the capacity to accept data from all of the states in Australia and, based on that data, provide a statement of ecological status or condition which is comparable across all jurisdictions.
This project in Western Australia (WA) (except for the Rangelands) will further trial the FARWH across a range of ecological and geoclimatic environments and against monitoring and assessment programs not tested in previous trials. The project also provides an opportunity to develop a state-wide approach to river health monitoring and reporting in WA that is regionally relevant and provides the information needs required for national reporting of river health under the FARWH. The project will also improve the capacity of staff in each region to undertake river health assessments consistent with the FARWH.
Project benefits
This project will advance the Raising National Water Standards priority for water-dependent ecosystems of integrating monitoring processes and systems to assist in enhancing aquatic ecosystem knowledge. The proposal further aligns to the National Water Initiative (NWI), by addressing several NWI objectives. They include:
- Objective (iii) - statutory provision for environmental and other public benefit outcomes, and improved environmental management practices
- Objective (iv) - complete the return of all currently over allocated or overused systems to environmentally sustainable levels of extraction.
The project will also develop a consistent regional approach to river and wetland health assessment for WA, which will be comparable to other river and wetland health assessment programs. The WA evaluation will contribute to the development of FARWH's national application.