Identifying corridors of river recovery in coastal NSW for use in decision support and prioritisation systems

Danelle Agnew, Kirstie Fryirs

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference proceeding contributionpeer-review

    Abstract

    Geomorphic river recovery has been happening for several decades in coastal valleys of NSW (Fryirs et al., 2018). In a recovery enhancement approach to management, it is important to know where in a catchment (or region) to focus efforts and resources. River management strategies which trigger and enhance recovery can generate positive rehabilitation outcomes with less physical intervention and at lower cost. It could be argued that prospects for further improvement are finely balanced, as river management authorities consider the challenges of climate change and landuse pressures on riverine environments. Building corridors of river recovery will help build resilience into the landscape and help ameliorate impacts of floods, droughts, and anthropogenic disturbance on our rivers. But where are the corridors of river recovery, and where is there potential to build corridors in coastal catchments of NSW? Identifying existing and potential corridors can be used in prioritisation and decision-support systems to select appropriate conservation, maintenance and rehabilitation zones at sub-catchment, catchment, or regional scales.

    The Open-Source NSW River Styles database contains comprehensive information on geomorphic river condition, recovery potential and relative catchment position, enabling systematic identification and analysis of corridors of river recovery. Corridor analysis can identify where hotspots of geomorphic river recovery occur, and where opportunities exist to establish and connect new corridors at the landscape scale, providing the basis to inform cost:benefit decision-making. If successful, this process can be undertaken at scale, providing practitioners with nature-based solutions for river management.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationProceedings of the 10th Australian Stream Management Conference, 2-4 August 2021
    EditorsT. Boyd, M. Coker, S. Gregor, A. Miller, A. Morris, K. Russell, I. D. Rutherford, G. J. Vietz, J. Walker, A. Wood
    Place of PublicationMelbourne
    PublisherRiver Basin Management Society
    Pages78-86
    Number of pages9
    ISBN (Electronic)9780646844916
    Publication statusPublished - 2021
    EventAustralian Stream Management Conference (10th : 2021) - Online
    Duration: 2 Aug 20214 Aug 2021
    Conference number: 10th

    Conference

    ConferenceAustralian Stream Management Conference (10th : 2021)
    Abbreviated title10ASM
    CityOnline
    Period2/08/214/08/21

    Keywords

    • River management
    • NSW River Styles database
    • corridor analysis
    • cost: benefit analysis
    • investment prioritisation
    • building resilience

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