Distribution: LTIM Project - Ecosystem Diversity

Dataset: Long Term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) Project - Ecosystem Diversity


Description

The Ecosystem Diversity component of the LTIM Project catalogued the different ecosystem types in the Basin that received Commonwealth environmental water annually and cumulatively over the five-year duration of the project (2014-15 to 2018-19). The evaluation was conducted at a whole-of-basin scale to assess the extent to which water-dependent ecosystem types were supported by Commonwealth environmental water and the contribution of Commonwealth environmental water to Basin Plan biodiversity objectives.

The CEWO’s LTIM Project examined the contribution of Commonwealth environmental water to the environmental objectives of the Basin Plan 2012 (Basin Plan) and assisted the CEWO to demonstrate environmental outcomes and adaptively manage the water holdings. Monitoring and evaluation was focused in seven Selected Areas: the Junction of the Warrego and Darling rivers, Gwydir river system, Lachlan river system, Murrumbidgee river system, Edward/Kolety-Wakool river system, Goulburn River and Lower Murray River. These areas will continue to be monitored through the CEWO’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Research (MER) Program.

Data collected by monitoring at Selected Areas is used to evaluate local outcomes from watering and also contributed to the analysis and evaluation of Basin Plan objectives.

Ecosystem types in the Basin are defined using the interim Australian National Aquatic Ecosystems (ANAE) Classification Framework. The ANAE Classification Framework was applied to the best available jurisdictional mapping for Basin wetlands, floodplains and rivers by Brooks et al. (2014) to produce the interim Murray-Darling Basin Aquatic Ecosystem Classification data set. Ecosystem types that received Commonwealth environmental water were identified by intersecting the ANAE mapping with the annual Commonwealth environmental water inundation and LTIM valleys spatial layer. The evaluation was updated retrospectively to include improvements to the ANAE mapping that were published during the LTIM Project. The final data sets include these updates.

Please refer to the Murray-Darling Basin LTIM Project: 2018-19 Basin-scale evaluation of Commonwealth environmental water – Ecosystem Diversity Report for the detailed method on data used for evaluation.

General Information