Upland Peatlands of Eastern Australia as Important Water Storage Reservoirs

The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area contains over 5,000 ha of peat forming upland swamps (n = 1,858) and numerous freshwater lagoons and lakes such as the Thirlmere Lakes southwest of Sydney. These systems are well known for their water storage capacity, even during dry spells. Here we use peat depth measurements and water content calculations to quantify potential water storage capacity within Lake Baraba in the Thirlmere Lakes National Park. We fi nd that total water storage capacity of the peat in Lake Baraba is 150±17.3 ML. We also calculate total water storage of peat-forming upland swamps across the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area which totals ~60,600 ±33,500 ML. The implications of climate change and anthropogenic disturbance on the water storage and supply functions of these systems as part of the Sydney water supply catchment provides a strong case for their conservation

Developing an equitable agenda for international capacity strengthening courses: environmental pedagogies and knowledge co-production in the Philippines

Capacity strengthening activities – be that in the form of courses, workshops, seminars – have become embedded in research projects as a requirement for funding and as a means for researchers to demonstrate positive societal impacts. We apply qualitative research techniques including interviews, questionnaires and observations to scrutinise and document an international capacity strengthening course aimed at informing and supporting environmental management practice and policy in the Philippines. We appraise power gradients and dynamics between course instructors and participants from different cultures and geographical locations in the design and delivery of this course. We identify five key factors that course instructors should consider as part of their pedagogy: (i) active learning, (ii) knowledge scaffolding and consolidation, and (iii) situated learning, as well as being attuned to (iv) the language dynamics and (v) expertise and networking within the room when teaching the course. Practical efforts to address these issues require that instructors work with participants to co-produce knowledge, rather than assuming epistemic authority and imposing knowledge. This entails reflexive and adaptable practices before, during and after the course. It is recommended that such practices should be central to projects that include capacity strengthening activities, whether delivered locally or internationally

River Styles and stream power analysis reveal the diversity of fluvial morphology in a Philippine tropical catchment

Characterisation of hydromorphological attributes is crucial for effective river management. Such information is often overlooked in tropical regions such as the Philippines where river management strategies mainly focus on issues around water quality and quantity. We address this knowledge gap using the River Styles Framework as a template to identify the diversity of river morphodynamics. We identify eight distinct River Styles (river types) in the Bislak catchment (586 km2) in the Philippines, showing considerable geomorphic diversity within a relatively small catchment area. Three River Styles in a Confined valley setting occupy 57% of the catchment area, another three in a partly confined valley setting occupy 37%, and two in the remaining 6% are found in a laterally unconfined valley setting. Five characteristic downstream patterns of River Styles were identified across the catchment. We observe that variation in channel slope for a given catchment area (i.e., total stream power) is insufficient to differentiate between river types. Hence, topographic analyses should be complemented with broader framed, catchment-specific approaches to river characterisation. The outputs and understandings from the geomorphic analysis of rivers undertaken in this study can support river management applications by explicitly incorporating understandings of river diversity and dynamics. This has the potential to reshape how river management is undertaken, to shift from reactive, engineering-based approaches that dominate in the Philippines, to more sustainable, ecosystem-based approaches to management

Developing and using geomorphic condition assessments for river rehabilitation planning, implementation and monitoring

Frameworks for assessing geomorphic river condition constitute a core part of the river management process, providing a critical platform for environmental decision-making and associated actions. The evolution of approaches for assessing the geomorphic (also called physical, morphological, or hydromorphological) condition of rivers has shifted from a design and development phase in the late-1990s and early 2000s to application and use of approaches for assessment, monitoring, and rehabilitation decision making. In this paper I review the core geomorphic principles that are embedded in more sophisticated, process-based frameworks, and demonstrate how the information generated through use of these frameworks can be used to guide management choices, change management activities or opt-out of management activities as part of precautionary river management practice. I propose that a key challenge now faced by geomorphologists and managers is to move beyond the development of more new frameworks, and consolidate efforts to use, test, and adapt existing approaches and datasets to achieve river management visions and objectives framed around improving river condition.19 page(s

Geomorphic analysis of river systems : an approach to reading the landscape

345 page(s

Rehabilitating upland swamps using environmental histories : a case study of the Blue Mountains Peat Swamps, Eastern Australia

In response to peatland degradation by human activities worldwide, restoration through gully blocking is now being implemented in an attempt to return valuable ecological and hydrological services to degraded systems. Re-establishing these services requires an understanding of how systems have formed and evolved in order to establish conditions that assist with physical and ecological recovery. However, management of peatlands and swamps continues without prior investigation into the environmental history of these ecosystems. This study investigates stratigraphy, sediment ages and peat forming potential within three Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone in the Blue Mountains, NSW. These swamps are listed as Endangered Ecological Communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) and the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW). High discontinuity in sediment structure, peat forming potential and timeframes of swamp initiation were observed across the three swamps. This localised variation reflects the complex geomorphic processes acting within and between these systems. Such data provides scientists and managers with key indicators to assess timeframes over which infilling, vegetation establishment and peat formation occurs. These tools can guide prioritisation, conservation and financial expenditure for the management and rehabilitation of temperate peat swamps.17 page(s

What's in a name? A naming convention for geomorphic river types using the River Styles Framework.

Meaningful iteration between place-based knowledge of rivers and generalised, theoretically-framed understandings is a significant challenge in river science and management. How can we communicate knowledge of the inherent complexity of river systems in light of managerial quests for simple, easy-to-apply frameworks that can be used by a wide range of practitioners, such that we can meaningfully transfer experiences in river science and management from one situation to another? Identification, definition, classification and naming are vital parts of this process. In a sense, a name is like a 'brand', for which a consistency of product is expected. The River Styles Framework is a flexible, open-ended approach to river science and management. The Framework applies a set of hierarchical principles to differentiate reaches, interpret their process-based behaviour and examine interactions between patterns of reaches at the catchment scale. Here we outline an evolution and tightening of the Framework to better communicate how to identify and name types of river at the reach scale. Like the River Styles Framework itself, the naming convention applies hierarchical procedures, starting at the valley setting scale, and incorporating analyses of river planform, channel and floodplain landforms (geomorphic units) and bed material texture. Using a series of examples from around the world, we show how this naming convention can be applied to name river reaches and can be adapted to particular purposes in a consistent, readily communicable manner. We outline various challenges that are faced in managing the use of such a naming convention

Geomorphology and river management : applications of the River Styles framework

Rivers show a remarkable diversity of character and behaviour in any catchment. Human activities have impacted profoundly on the inherent variability in patterns and rates of river adjustment, altering what rivers look like, how they behave, and the structure and function of acquatic ecosystems. This book outlines geomorphic considerations for river management and a generic set of proceedures, termed the River Styles framework, which provides a set of tools for interpreting river character, behaviour, condition, and recovery potential