Water for the environment

doi:10.1071/9780643103283_Chapter_9

Water for the environment

Rod Oliver and Ian Webster

2011(2) -

Abstract

Aquatic and water-dependent ecosystems require surface water flows or access to ground water to survive. They include Australia’s highly valued rivers, lakes, floodplains, wetlands, and estuaries.

Regulation of rivers with dams and weirs and the extraction of water from rivers and groundwater threatens the viability of these ecosystems, many of which are now degraded.

To function properly, these ecosystems and the species in them require not just adequate volumes of water but the right seasonal pattern and variety of conditions.

Providing water for consumption while providing for ecosystems often involves trade-offs or compromises. A good understanding of the condition of ecosystems under different regimes of water use, can help make these trade-offs transparent and identify ways to reduce them.