Construction and establishment guidelines: swales, bioretention systems and wetlands

Source: Healthy Waterways
"The new Construction and Establishment Guidelines - Swales, Bioretention Systems and Wetlands has been prepared to address the lack of guidance and protocols around on-ground outcomes when it comes to water sensitive urban design. It provides civil and landscape specifications, step by step construction and establishment procedures and protocols, and sign-off checklists as well as forms for certification and compliance. It was developed in collaboration with leading practitioners, local government compliance officers and contractors, and includes a set of A3 sheets which can be laminated and taken on-site for handy reference. The guideline is supported by a training course offered by Water by Design. While the guideline has been produced for South East Queensland, it has relevance across much of Australia."

Wetland rehabilitation guidelines for the Great Barrier Reef catchment

Source: Queensland Wetlands Programme
"This document gives practical guidance on wetland rehabilitation for farmers, community groups, local councils, Queensland Government agencies, natural resources management bodies and the community. It covers:
• ways to identify and classify wetlands, and determine their values
• threats to wetlands
• planning for wetland rehabilitation
• practical rehabilitation techniques
• legislative requirements
• maintenance, monitoring and evaluation of rehabilitation."

RAMSAR snapshot study final report

Source: Dept. of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
"A snapshot report into the management of Australia's Ramsar wetlands up to the end of 2007 paints a damning picture of poor administration and inaction under the previous government, Environment Minister Peter Garrett said today. The Ramsar Snapshot Study Report looks at the status and management of all 65 Australian Ramsar sites and assesses the completeness and currency of Ramsar site documentation for Australian Ramsar sites."

National waterbirds survey

Source: Australian Wetlands & Rivers
"The largest ever survey of the health of Australia's wetlands has been commenced, with a team of University of New South Wales environmental researchers conducting a special aerial survey of waterbirds across the entire continent. The team will criss-cross Australia to visit every possible significant wetland, at a cost of more than $1.1 million. It is the first time that all of the nation's wetlands have been assessed together in this way and is thought to be the largest and most ambitious continental-scale research project of its type ever attempted. Led by wetlands expert, Professor Richard Kingsford, of the UNSW School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, the survey team will fly at low altitude to count the number and species of waterbirds living in the wetlands to assess their relative health. "

Detecting visitor impacts in and around aquatic ecosystems within protected areas

Source: Sustainable Tourism CRC
"Despite being an important component of many regional monitoring programs throughout Australia, there has been surprisingly little effort in developing aquatic indicators to assess the effect of visitors on aquatic ecosystems in protected areas. In this study, we assessed the applicability of existing aquatic indicators as tools for assessing visitor impacts in and around aquatic ecosystems within National Parks and their protected areas. Our focus was on the spatial and temporal scales at which visitor activities (and their effects) are likely to occur, with emphasis on choosing indicators that are likely to respond at these scales."

SmartCane riparian and wetland areas on cane farms

Source: BSES
"This booklet aims to ■ provide the sugarcane growing industry with guidelines for sustainable management of riparian lands and wetlands associated with sugarcane production;■ promote to landholders the benefits of adoption of the BMP in protecting and enhancing wetland biodiversity, fishery production and water quality; ■ document examples of where the implementation of BMP has achieved improvements in environmental performance without impacting adversely on farm productivity;■ ensure that the BMP is acceptable to, and endorsed by, the sugarcane industry; and ■ identify the necessary incentives for cane rowers to adopt BMP to protect and enhance the ecological values of wetlands on cane farms."

Ecosystem services derived from wetland conservation practices in the U.S. Prairie Pothole region...

Source: U.S. Geological Survey
"Implementation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) has resulted in the restoration of approximately 2,200,000 ha (5,436,200 acres) of wetland and grassland habitats in the Prairie Pothole Region. These restored habitats are known to provide various ecosystem services; however, little work has been conducted to quantify and verify benefits on program lands (lands enrolled in the CRP and WRP) in agriculturally dominated landscapes of the Prairie Pothole Region. To address this need, the U.S. Geological Survey initiated a study to develop and apply approaches to quantify changes in ecosystem services resulting from wetland restoration activities funded by the USDA."

Floodplain development and vegetation health on the Macquarie River floodplain of the Murray Darling Basin

Source:UNSW
"A landmark study by a team at the University of New South Wales has mapped more than 2,000 km of levee banks, channels and storages on the floodplains of the Macquarie Marshes, an internationally significant wetland listed under the Ramsar Convention. The study identified 338 km of levees, 1,648 km of channels, 54 off-river storages and 664 farm dams on the floodplain of about 4,300 square kilometres."

State of the Basin 2008: rivers assessment

"Lake Eyre Basin (LEB) is one of the largest internally draining river systems
in the world, covering nearly one-sixth of Australia including areas of South
Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and a small area of western
New South Wales. The natural, cultural and economic values of the LEB are of
significant national importance, in particular, it is one of the last unregulated
dryland river systems worldwide. This report reviews the conditions of all watercourses and catchments in the Basin."

Planner's guide to wetland buffers for local governments

"Healthy wetlands and buffer areas help to control flooding, protect water flows, conserve native plants and wildlife, and support nature-friendly land use and development. Based on ELI’s detailed examination of more than 50 enacted wetland buffer ordinances around the nation and nine model ordinances, as well as several hundred scientific studies and analyses of buffer performance, the Planner’s Guide to Wetland Buffers for Local Governments identifies both the state-of-the-art and the range of current practice in protection of wetland buffers by local governments. The Guide provides to local governments considering enacting or amending a wetland buffer ordinance what they need to know to manage land use and development in these important areas".

Wetlands Australia: national wetlands update 2008

This annual publication brings together information and resources from across Australia relating to wetlands conservation, management and education. This edition of Wetlands Australia comprises over thirty articles with contributions from all states and territories.