Groundwater-dependent ecosystems
Changes in groundwater quantity and quality can impact on the many ecosystems in Australia that rely on groundwater to survive.
Many ecosystems depend on groundwater to stay healthy. Some ecosystems are completely groundwater-dependent. Others rely on groundwater for part of the time, such as during the dry season in northern Australia.
Not all ecosystems draw on groundwater directly. In many cases the groundwater provides baseflows in rivers that ecosystems depend on. The impact of changes in groundwater quantity and quality on these ecosystems is determined by the degree and nature of their groundwater dependency.
Types of groundwater-dependent ecosystems
Six types of groundwater dependent ecosystems are conventionally recognised in Australia:
- Terrestrial vegetation that relies the availability of shallow groundwater
- Wetlands such as paperbark swamp forests and mound springs ecosystems
- River base flow systems where a groundwater discharge provides a baseflow component to the river's discharge
- Aquifer and cave ecosystems where life exists independent of sunlight
- Terrestrial fauna, both native and introduced, that rely on groundwater as a source of drinking water
- Estuarine and near shore marine systems, such as some coastal mangroves, salt marshes and sea grass beds, which rely on the submarine discharge of groundwater.
The National Water Commission is focusing its efforts on the first four ecosystem types.
Groundwater-dependent ecosystems and water reform
The National Water Initiative (NWI) recognises the importance of protecting groundwater-dependent ecosystems and calls for the development of better understanding of the relationship between groundwater and important groundwater-dependent ecosystems.
Progress
In the 2007 Biennial Assessment of progress against the NWI, the National Water Commission expressed concerned about the management of groundwater throughout Australia, and the serious effect that failure to address key groundwater management issues could have on groundwater-dependent ecosystems. (See also 2009 Biennial Assessment.)
National Groundwater Action Plan
In response to the findings of the Biennial Assessment the Australian Government has funded the $82 million Groundwater Action Plan. This initiative is managed by the National Water Commission and will lead to a better understanding of groundwater issues, including groundwater-dependent ecosystems.