Australia’s tropical river systems: current scientific understanding and critical knowledge gaps for sustainable management

Stephen K. Hamilton; Peter C. Gehrke

doi:10.1071/MF05063

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Australia’s tropical river systems: current scientific understanding and critical knowledge gaps for sustainable management

Stephen K. Hamilton ^A ^C and Peter C. Gehrke ^B

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Kellogg Biological Station and Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA.

^B CSIRO Land and Water, 120 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Qld 4068, Australia.

^C Corresponding author. Email: hamilton@kbs.msu.edu

Marine and Freshwater Research 56(3) 243-252 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF05063
Submitted: 13 April 2005 Accepted: 14 April 2005 Published: 3 June 2005

Abstract

Australia’s tropical river systems are poorly understood in comparison with Australia’s temperate freshwater and tropical marine systems. Tropical rivers convey ~70% of the continent’s freshwater runoff, and are increasingly being targeted for development. However, existing knowledge is inadequate to support policy for tropical regions that avoids repeating the environmental problems of water use in southern Australia. This paper summarises existing knowledge on the hydrogeomorphic drivers of tropical catchments, fluxes of sediments and nutrients, flow requirements and wetlands. Key research issues include improved quantification of available water resources, hydrological, biogeochemical and ecological linkages at systems scales, understanding and valuing ecosystem processes and services, and projecting the effects of long-term climate change. Two special considerations for tropical Australia are the location of major centres of government and research capacity outside the tropical region, and the legal title of much of tropical Australia vesting in Aboriginal communities with different cultural values for rivers. Both issues will need to be addressed if tropical research is to be effective in supporting resource management needs into the future. Systems-scale thinking is needed to identify links between system components and coastal enterprises, and to protect the environmental, social, and economic values of Australia’s tropical river systems.

Acknowledgments

This paper is derived from the papers, posters and opinions presented at the Forum of Sustainable Futures for Australia’s Tropical Rivers in Darwin, February 2004. Although we have attempted to capture the range of views expressed at the Forum, the arguments presented here are our own. We duly acknowledge the contributions of all participants and present this synthesis as a collective analysis of knowledge gaps for sustainable management of Australia’s tropical river systems.

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