Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015...
Transcript of Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015...
![Page 1: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
EcosystemRepairPrioritisationOctober2015
PreparedbyRonaldBaker,
EstuaryandCoastalWetlandEcosystemsResearchGroup,CollegeofMarineandEnvironmentalSciences,JamesCookUniversity,Townsville.
![Page 2: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation
Contents
1. ExecutiveSummary........................................................................................................................1
1.1. SubSectionLevel1...................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.
1.2. SubSectionLevel1...................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.
1.2.1. SubSectionLevel2...........................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.
2. Introduction...................................................................................................................................2
2.1. TheGBR“aniconunderpressure”.........................................................................................2
3. WetlandDSS...................................................................................................................................5
3.1. Methodology..........................................................................................................................6
3.1.1. OverviewoftheDSS.......................................................................................................6
3.1.2. ApplicationtotheFBAregion........................................................................................9
3.2. Results....................................................................................................................................9
3.2.1. DSSoutputs....................................................................................................................9
3.2.2. DSS2PrioritisationofFBAregionwetlands.................................................................10
4. EcologicalProcessCalculator(EcoCalculator).............................................................................13
4.1. Methodology........................................................................................................................14
4.1.1. DevelopmentoftheEcologicalProcessCalculator......................................................14
4.1.2. ApplicationtotheFBAregion......................................................................................15
4.1.3. BlueMaps.....................................................................................................................16
4.2. Results..................................................................................................................................17
5. FishBarriers.................................................................................................................................20
5.1. PrioritisationMethodology..................................................................................................21
5.2. Results..................................................................................................................................22
5.3. OutcomesandIssues...........................................................................................................27
6. AnIntegratedSystemRepairPrioritisationTool..........................................................................30
6.1. Methods...............................................................................................................................30
6.2. Results..................................................................................................................................31
6.3. ConsiderationsandLimitations............................................................................................35
7. Recommendations.......................................................................................................................38
8. Closure.........................................................................................................................................40
![Page 3: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
ListofFigures
Figure1:FigureSpaceSaver....................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.Figure2:FigureSpaceSaver....................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.
ListofTables
Table1:TableSpaceSaver.......................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.
Table2:TableSpaceSaver.......................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.
ListofAppendices
AppendixA:Title
AppendixB:Title
![Page 4: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
1
1. ExecutiveSummary
TheFitzroyBasinAssociation(FBA)aimstoundertakeactionsthatwillreducethreats,restorecondition,andimprovetheoutlookoftheGreatBarrierReef.TheReefPlan2013providesanurgencyanddirectionforimprovingwaterqualitytotheGreatBarrierReeflagoon.NoregretstargetshavebeencommunicatedthroughtheplanthatimpactonthetypesofNRMactivitiesundertakenbytheNRMregionalbodiesandotherstakeholders.AspartoftheWaterQualityImprovementPlanWQIP:2015FBAareundertakingaprioritisationprocesstoimplementactivitiesaddressingsystemsrepairtomeetreeftargetstoimproveaquatichabitatandwetlands.
ThisreportoutlinesthedevelopmentandapplicationofseveralassessmentandprioritisationtoolsfortheFBAregion,andtheircombinationintoasingleprioritisationsupporttool.In2015,theFitzroyBasinFishBarrierPrioritisationProjectwasrevisitedtoaccountforremediationworkstofishbarrierssincetheoriginal2008assessment.There-assessmentscoredandprioritisedthetop46barrierstofishpassagewithintheFBAregion.TheDepartmentofEnvironmentandHeritageProtectionWetlandDecisionSupportSystem(DSS)wasappliedtotheFBAregion,andprioritisedthetop20wetlandsformanagementaction.TheGreatBarrierReefMarineParkAuthoritydevelopedtheEco-CalculatorandBlueMapstoquantifychangeinthedeliveryofecosystemservicesfrommodifiedcoastalecosystemssincepre-Europeantimes,andtodefinethelevelofconnectivityofcoastalecosystemswiththeGreatBarrierReef.
EachofthesetoolswasappliedtotheFBAregion,andtheiroutputsstandardisedandcombinedtoproduceanoverallscoreforeachNeighbourhoodCatchment(NC)withintheregion.Thefinalprioritisationidentified61outof189NC’sthatcontainmultiplerankingwetlandsandfishbarriers,withhighconnectivitytothereef.Thehigh-scoringNC’sinthiscombinedoutputrepresentareaswiththegreatestpotentialforrealisingsynergisticbenefitsfrommanagementactions,butshouldnotbeconsideredasafinalprioritisationwithoutcarefulconsiderationoftheunderlyingcomplexitiesandissueswiththeindividualtools,andthosethatarisefromtheircombinationintoasinglescore.
“DecisionSupportSystemsaresupporttoolsthathelpusersdocumentandquantifytheintuitivedecisionspeoplemake,ratherthanmakingdecisionsforyou”(HLAEnvirosciences2007).
Thekeyrecommendationarisingfromthisprocessisthatthefinalintegratedtoolshouldcomprisemorethanasinglecombinedscore.Itshouldbebasedmoredirectlyoneachoftheindividualsub-tools,andallowuserstodrilldownormovebetweentheoutputsofeachtofullyconsiderinteractionsbetweendifferentmanagementoptions.Nosinglenumbercancapturethediversityofvaluesanareamayprovide,anditisimportanttounderstandtheimpactofmanagementgoalsandvaluejudgementsontheoutputsofeachindividualtool.
![Page 5: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
2
2. Introduction
2.1. TheGBR“aniconunderpressure”
TheGreatBarrierReefisaniconunderpressure.Everyone’sactions,whetherbigorsmall,toreducethreats andhelp restore its conditionwill improve itsoutlook.Combined theywillmake theReefmoreabletorecoverfromthelegacyofpastactionsandbetterabletowithstandthosepredictedtothreatenitsfuture(OutlookReport2014).
TheFitzroyBasinAssociationthroughanumberofinitiativesfundedbygovernmenttoaddressReefhealthhasendeavouredtodojustthat.Makeadifferencewheretheorganisationcan:byfollowingthestrategicdirectionoftheRegionalNRMplaninformedbyregionalstakeholders.HoweverwhenitcomestoSystemsRepairtheorganisation,inthepast,hasbeenabletoguideitsprioritiesthroughexperienceandaknowledgeoftheregionsecosystemservicesthatcontributetoReefhealth.
TheopportunitytorevisitprocessesandincludemorerobustprioritisationthroughtheFBAWaterQuality ImprovementPlanmakes sense. Enabling strategic selectionof critical areas for targetingfundingwillachievebetteroutcomesinthelongerterm.
Intactcoastalhabitats(forexamplefreshwaterwetlands,floodplainsandsaltmarshes)arevitaltoahealthyGreat Barrier Reef. They are important in the lifecycle of species and also play a role inslowingoverlandflowandtrappingsedimentsandnutrients(OutlookReport2014).
Healthoftheecosystemisstronglylinkedtoandindicatedbythewaterquality,habitatandspeciesbiodiversity(Fig.2.1).Eachoneoftheseparametersisinfluencedbytheotherandinmostinstanceseffectedbytheeconomicsprioritiesaroundtheecologicalassets.
![Page 6: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
3
Figure2.1:Conceptforhealthofecosystems–FBA2015
The systems repair component for theWQIP includes theEHPWetlandsDecision Support System(DSS) toolasawayofprioritisingWetlands for theFitzroyBasinregion. Wewillbeable toselectprioritywetlandsforfundedactivitiesbasedonvalues,threatsandcapacitytointroducechange.
The GBRMPA “BlueMaps” and “EcoCalculator” are to be utilised for determining priority habitatthat influences ecosystem service contribution to the surrounding waters including the southernGBR lagoon. Through this process actions can be determined for consideration in a prioritisationprocess to targetareaswherechangesmadewhether itbeprotection, repairormaintenancewillhaveapositivecontributiontothehealthoftheReef.
Acrossallfisheriesriskstotheecosystemremain(OutlookReport2014).Theoutlookreportgoesontociteoverfishing, incidentalcatch, fishingofspawningaggregationsand illegal fishingassomeofthe continuing causes. This is outside the scope of a regional NRM group to a certain extenthoweverrestoringandimprovingaccessforfishspeciestootherwiseisolatedhabitatcanonlyhelpimprove fish stocks, provide prey species, facilitate migration and improve general ecosystemhealth.
A previously commissionedproject and resulting report in partnershipwith theQueensland StateGovernmentfisheriesdepartment(Moore&Marsden2008)wasrevisitedtodeterminethetop46
![Page 7: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
4
fishbarriers that currently formblockageanddislocationof aquatichabitat for fish species in theFitzroyBasin.
With the above components for this sub program complete, this report utilises the gatheredinformation and prioritisations and combines them into a matrix process to generate an overallscoringsystem.TheresultsscoreindividualNeighbourhoodCatchmentswithintheFBAregion(Fig.2.2)basedonacombinedscorefromtheFBFBPP,theWetlandsDSS,andBlueMapstoidentifythesub-basinswheremanagementactionscanhavethegreatestimpactforthehealthandwellbeingoftheGBR.Theaimistoprovidemultipleoutcomesatthetargetedsitesensuringfunding isgainingthebesteconomicaloutcomesintandemwiththemostappropriatesystemrepairactions.
Figure2.2:TheFitzroyBasinRegionindicatingtheNeighbourhoodCatchmentsub-regions.
![Page 8: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
5
Thefollowingchaptersoutlineeachofthesubcomponents,theirapplication,theircombinationintoasingletool,andissuesrelatingtotheinterpretation,applicationandlimitationsofthefinalsinglescoringsystem.Usersareencouragedtorefertotheoriginalreportsthatunderpineachchapterandassociatedprioritisationtooltogainafullgraspoftheaims,functioning,andissuesrelatingtotheuseofeachtool.Thiswillensurethatoutcomesfromanyindividualtoolortheintegratedmatrixcanbe interpreted appropriately, with a clear understanding of the limitations and issues forconsideration.
3. WetlandDSS
Image:HLA(2007)
ThischapterprovidesasummaryoftheWetlandDecisionSupportSystemtool,therationalebehinditsdevelopment,howitworks,andissuesrelevanttoitsintegrationwithotherdecisiontoolsforapplicationintheFBAregion.Unlessotherwisecited,itdrawsprimarilyfromtheWetlandDecisionSupportSystemWorkshopManual,2007,areportbyHLA-EnvirosciencesPtyLtd(HLA2007),andJaenschetal(2015)AprioritisationofFitzroyBasinwetlandsforNRMinvestment,areporttotheFitzroyBasinAssociation.
TheAustralianGovernmentimplementedtheGreatBarrierReefCoastalWetlandsProtectionProgramme(GBRCWPP)inresponsetoconcernsabouttheimpactstotheGBRfromdegradationofcoastalwetlands.BecausetherearenotenoughfundsavailabletocompleterepaireffortsonallwetlandsintheGBRcatchment,theWetlandsDecisionSupportSystem(DSS)wasdevelopedtoguidetheallocationandprioritisationoffundsforwetlandrestoration/protectionandremediationinthecoastalareasoftheGBR.Inconsideringrepaireffortsitiscriticaltoconsiderawiderangeof
![Page 9: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
6
complexandinterlinkedbiophysical,socialandeconomicfactorsthatimpingeonandwillbeaffectedbyanyworkscarriedout.
ThepurposeofaDSSistosupportdecisionmakingbyassemblingandpresentingthecomplexofrelevantinformationinawaythatcanbeunderstoodbydecisionmakers,andcommunicatedtothebroadercommunitysothattheprocessistransparent.ADSSisasupportsystem,itisnotintendedtomakedecisions.Rather,itprovidestherationalebehinddecisionsinawaythatpeoplecanclearlyunderstandhowandwhyparticularwetlandsrankhighlyorpoorlyintheprioritylist.Itisaflexiblesystemandtheoutcomeswillvarydependingonthespecificgoalsandobjectivesoftheuser.Assuch,itisessentialthatanytimethetoolisused,thataclearsetofobjectivesisdefined,andtheweightingforeachofthescoringcriteriaareadjustedtomeetthestatedobjectives.
ToincorporatethistoolintoabroaderframeworkforprioritisingactionswithintheFBAregion,itwillbenecessarytoapplythetoolconcurrentlywiththeothertools,andexactlyhowthisisdonewilldependonthespecificgoals.ThecurrentiterationoftheapplicationoftheWetlandsDSStotheFBAregionprovidesagoodstartingpointthatidentifiesthehighestprioritywetlandswithintheregion.OnceincorporatedintotheintegratedmatrixwiththeFishPassagePrioritisationandBlueMaps,itwillindicatesub-basinsintheFBAthatcontainhighprioritywetlands.Toguidethisprocess,theremainderofthischapterprovidesasummaryofthemechanicsofthetool,andtheoutcomesofitsapplicationtotheFBAregion.
Note:TheRamsarwetlandsShoalwaterBayandCorioBaywetlandswereexcludedfromtheprocessalongwithKinkawetlandsofnationalimportanceandasignificantareaoftheFitzroyfloodplainasthesewetlandsarecurrentlyfundedto2018andRamsarwetlandswillcontinuetobeconsideredbyFBAaspriorityindecisionprocesses.
3.1. Methodology
3.1.1. OverviewoftheDSS
TheDSSmanualemphasisesthecriticalimportanceofhavingclearlyidentifiedmanagementobjectivesbeforeusingtheDSStoprioritisemanagementactions.Thisisbecausedecisionsaboutweightingeachofthecriteriaarevaluejudgements,andwillvarydependingonthespecificmanagementobjectives.Forinstance,isthemanagementpreferencetoprotectpristinewetlands,orrestoredegradedones?Isthegoaltoimprovewaterquality,orenhancefisheriesvalues?Individualcriteriamaybegivenoppositeweightingsunderthesedifferentscenarios,andtherelativeimportanceofdifferentcriteriawillalsovarywidely.
TheDSSbringstogetherthreetypesofinformationtoprioritisewetlandsformanagementaction.
![Page 10: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
7
Thisinformationisusedinthetwostepprioritisationprocess,withStep1,thePrimaryDSSbeingappliedtowetlandsacrosstheentireGBRcatchment,andStep2,theSecondaryDSSbeingappliedonaregionalscale,inthisinstance,totheFBAregion.
Scoringinvolvesapplyingscorestoeachwetlandacrossarangeofcriteriagroupedunderthreebroadcategories;Value,ThreatandCapacity.‘Value’referstotheinherentvaluesthatmaybeattributedtoparticularwetlands,suchastheirvaluesasfisherieshabitatorforwaterbirds.‘Threats’includethevarioussourcesofpressuresandstressorsonthewetland,while‘Capacityconsiderscommunitycapacityforwetlandconservationandtheavailabilityoffinancialassistanceforrestorationorprotectionefforts.Scoringisperformedtoobjectivelyidentifythecurrentstateofeachwetland,andtherelevantissuesrelatingtoitsmanagement.Thescoresareindependentofthegoalsormanagementobjectives.ItisduringWeightingthattherelativeimportanceofeachcriterionisdeterminedbymanagers,experts,andotherstakeholders.
Scoring Objectivelyassigningvaluestoeachwetlandunderarangeofcriteria.Scoreisinherenttoawetlandanddoesnotchangewithobjectives.
Weighting Valuejudgementoftherelativeimportanceof
eachcriteria.Bestdeterminedbydecisionmakersinworkshopscenario
Direction Valuejudgementofthecriteria;isitpositiveor
negative,benefitorcost.Dependingonthegoals,thedirectionvaluecanchange.
![Page 11: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
8
ThecriteriadefinitionsandscalesareexplainedindetailinthereportcommissionedbyFBAtitled“AprioritisationofFitzroyBasinwetlandsforNRMinvestment”(Jaensch2015).Brieflytheyare:
ValuesCriteria:
• RecreationalValue–importancefornature-basedrecreation.• IndigenousValue–sitesignificancetoTraditionalOwners.• FisheriesHabitat–valuetocommerciallyorrecreationallyimportantfishspecies.• AssimilativeCapacity–abilitytodetainnutrientsandsedimentstoimprovewaterquality.• Populationsofrareorthreatenedtaxa–significantpopulationsofspecieslistedinStateor
Commonwealthlegislation.• VegetationRepresentativeness–ratioofpre-Europeantocurrentrepresentationof
RegionalEcosystemtypes.• WetlandRepresentativeness–identifiesuniqueorremnantwetlandtypesinaregion.• SpeciesRichness–formajortaxaincludingfish,birdsandvascularplants.• Size–largerwetlandsareconsideredtohavegreaterpotentialvalue.• WaterbirdHabitatValue–qualityofhabitatandsignificanceofbirdpopulationssupported.• WetlandCondition–considersfloristic,faunal,hydrologicalandgeomorphological
character.
ThreatsCriteria:
• FishPassage–extentofconnectivitytodownstreamestuarineareasrelativetopre-Europeantimes.
• LandUseIntensity–proportionofcatchmentunderintensivelanduses;drylandandirrigatedagricultureandplantations.
• LandUseIntensification–potentiallandusezoningfor1kmbufferaroundwetland.• WeedInvasion–threatposedbyexistingweedinfestations.• WaterQuality–currentstatusofwetlandwaterquality.• PointSourcePollution–presenceofupstreampollutionsourcesandlevelofimpacts.• HydrologicalChange–changestothetimingandvolumeofflowsandrechargeofsurface
andgroundwaters.
CapacityCriteria:
• LevelofProtection–protectionofwetlandbystatutoryorbindingmanagement.• FinancialIncentives–availabilityoffundingtosupportmanagementefforts.• IndustryLand-useViability–profitabilityoflocalindustryreflectscapacityandwillingness
tosupportNRMinitiatives.• EngagementCapacity–extenttowhichwetlandisalreadyrecognisedasapriorityareaby
localNRMgroupsandland-holders.• BestManagementPracticeFeasibility–feasibilityofachievingbestmanagementpractice
givencurrentconditions,capacityandtechnologicalconstraints.
![Page 12: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
9
Oncecandidatewetlandshavebeenscoredaccordingtotheabovecriteria,eachcriterionisweightedaccordingtothespecificmanagementobjectives.
Weightingisavalue-basedassessmentoftheimportanceofeachofthecriteria.Thisisbestperformedbylocaldecisionmakers,experts,andotherstakeholdersinaworkshopsituation.Thisprovidesatransparentmechanismwherebythevaluesofend-usersareincorporatedintotheprocess.Itfostersinvolvementofvariousstakeholders,andfacilitatesconsiderationofdifferentinterestsandvalueseachmayassigntowetlandsandtheirprioritiesforremediationaction.
Directionindicatesifahighscoreandweightingforacriterionincreasesordecreasesitspriorityforaction.AswithWeighting,thisisguidedbythemanagementobjectivesandcanbedeterminedaspartoftheweightingprocess.Forinstance,ifthemanagementpreferencewastoprotectpristinewetlandareasfromdegradation,thencriteriathatscoredhighlybasedonhealthyfunctionalecologicalvalueswouldbepositive,therebyincreasingtherankingintheprioritylist,whilethosescoringhighlyduetosevereimpactswouldbenegative.Ifthefocuswasonactionstorepairdegradedsystems,thenthereversedirectionswouldbeapplied.
3.1.2. ApplicationtotheFBAregion
TheWetlandsDSSwasappliedtotheFBAtoprioritisewetlandsformanagementaction,andthisprocessisdetailedinthereportbyJaenschetal(2015).TheapplicationoftheDSStotheFBAregionstartedwith40identifiedcandidatewetlands,whichwerethenrunthroughtheSecondaryDSSprocessusinglocalmanagers,expertsandstakeholderstoprioritisethetop20wetlandsformanagementaction.The40wetlandsconsidereddidnotincludeRamsarsitessincethesearealreadygainingprojectsupportformanagingvalues.TheselectionwasfocussedonwetlandsthatwereknownorlikelytocontributetowaterqualityimprovementintheReeflagoon,wetlandsthat(otherwiseorinaddition)hadbiodiversityvaluesknownorlikelytobehigh,and—atthisstagetolesserextent—wetlandswheresomekindofNRMinvestmentseemedfeasible.
SitesatwhichsignificantpreviousinvestmentsforNRMhadoccurred,orwereongoing,wereomitted.ThiswasbecauseFBAwantedtoexpandthegeographicalspreadofinvestmentsinNRMforwetlandsintheBasinandtoengageadditionallandholders.Somesiteswithpreviousinvestmentwereneverthelessincluded,becausethereseemedtobelimitedprospectsforfurtherinvestmentbyotherorganisationsintheshort-mediumterm.Severalsitesthatwereduetobetargetedinupcomingorrecently-startedprojectsofFBA—suchasonthelowerFitzroyFloodplain—wereomitted.SomesiteswhereanyformofNRMinvestmentseemedhighlyimprobable,orimpracticalintheshort-mediumterm,wereomitted,e.g.sitesthatwerehighlyremoteorsubjecttoseverefloodingimpacts.
3.2. ResultsandDiscussion
3.2.1. DSSoutputs
![Page 13: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
10
Considerationofthefullrangeofcriteriahighlightsthatmanyprovidepotentiallyconflictingvalues.Thisisnotacriticismoftheprocessorthetool,butreinforceswhythetoolmustbemodifiedthroughcarefulweightingofeachcriterionaccordingtoclearlydefinedmanagementobjectives.Forexample,undertheFisheriesHabitatcriterion,awetlandwithsuitablehabitatforfisheriesspecies,butinaccessibleduetobarrierswouldscore0(outof10),whilethesamewetlandwouldscore10outof10undertheFishPassagecriterion.Inthisinstance,theweightingforthesevalueswoulddependonifexistinghighvalueandfunctionalhabitatwasconsideredmoreorlessimportantthanrestoringaccesstopotentiallyvaluablebutcurrentlyinaccessiblehabitat.Withoutthislevelofcarefulconsiderationduringtheprocess,i.e.withequalweighting,thesetwocriteriawouldeffectivelycanceleachotherout.Anotherwaytoconsiderthisisthatawetlandwithvaluablefisherieshabitatandgoodfunctionalconnectivitywouldscorethesameasawetlandwithpotentiallyvaluablehabitatbutnoconnectivityduetobarriers.Thishighlightstheneedfordecisionmakerstocarefullyexaminethefullrangeofoutputs,andtoexplorehowchangestoweightinganddirectioncanaffectthefinalresults.TheserecommendationsareemphasisedintheoriginalDSSManualandarerepeatedhere.
3.2.2. DSS2PrioritisationofFBAregionwetlands
Figure3.1:WetlandprioritisationresultsfromtheapplicationoftheSecondaryWetlandsDSSto40wetlandsintheFBAregion(fromJaenschetal2015).
ApplicationoftheSecondaryWetlandsDSStotheFBAregionresultedinprioritisationofthetop20wetlandsformanagementaction.Thisprocessprioritisedthese20wetlandsoutofanoriginallistof40fromtheregion,anddidnotincludeRAMSARwetlandsthatarealreadythefocusofseparate
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Toril
la P
lain
Pal
m T
ree
& R
obin
son
Cre
ek (T
aroo
m)
Twel
ve M
ile C
reek
(Baj
ool)
St.L
awre
nce
Nan
kin
Pla
ins
(Fitz
royv
ale,
B
road
mea
dow
s)
Wav
erle
y &
Bar
Pla
ins
Iwas
aki W
etla
nds
Gle
n P
rairi
e
Lake
Mar
y C
ompl
ex
Wum
algi
Pen
insu
la (B
road
Sou
nd)
Josk
elei
gh &
Long
Bea
ch
Per
ch &
Mim
osa
Cre
ek
Mac
Ken
zie
Per
ched
Wet
land
s
Low
er H
erbe
rt C
reek
Gre
en L
ake
Com
plex
Ser
pent
ine
Cre
ek (F
itzro
y D
elta
)
Sou
th Y
aam
ba C
ompl
ex
Low
er D
awso
n (M
oura
to D
uarin
ga)
Low
er Is
aacs
Flo
odpl
ain
Cal
lide-
Don
Jun
ctio
n
Wetland Sites
Wetland Priority Values Threats Capacity
![Page 14: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
11
managementactions.Thetoprankingwetlandsscoredhighlyineachofthethreebroadcategories,Values,ThreatsandCapacity(Fig.3.1).Someofthelowerrankedwetlands(inthetop20)scoredhighlyintheThreatcategory,butpoorlyinValuesandCapacityindicatingthatwhilethesewetlandsmaybenefitconsiderablyfrommanagementinterventions,thecostandcapacitytoeffectivelyimplementthesemakesthemalessattractiveoptionthanthehigherrankedwetlands.
TheprioritisationprocessfoundtheWetlandsDSStobeausefultoolfortheFBAregion,butnotedthatthebiastowardcoastalwetlandsinseveralimportantcriteriaresultedinfewinlandwetlandsscoringhighly.Thisisdespiteseveralinlandwetlandshavingapparenthighvalueandgoodpotentialforinvestmenttoprovideimprovements.Asaresult,Jaenschetal(2015)recommendfutureassessmentsconsiderinlandwetlandsseparatelyusingamodifiedscoringsystemnotbiasedtowardscoastalconnectivity.
TheweightingofeachcriterionwasbasedonthedetailedunderstandingbyFBAstaffwhoknowtheregion,thepriorities,andfeasibilityofimplementingworks.Thisprocessidentifiedsomeimportantgapsinavailabledata.Forinstance,waterqualityandpoint-sourcepollutionwereconsideredthemostimportantoftheThreatscriteria,andwereassignedaweightingof10.However,littledatawasavailableforeitherofthesecriteria,andhencescoresweresettoaveragebydefault.
![Page 15: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
12
Figure3.2:WetlandprioritisationresultsfromtheapplicationoftheSecondaryWetlandsDSSto20wetlandsintheFBAregion(FBA2015).
![Page 16: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
13
4. EcologicalProcessCalculator(EcoCalculator)
TheEcoCalculatorscoresthecurrentstatusoftheprovisionofecosystemservicesbyGBRcatchmentecosystemsrelativetotheirpre-Europeancondition(imagefromGBRMPA2015).
ThischapterdescribesthedevelopmentandapplicationoftheEcoCalculatorandBlueMapsforguidingmanagementeffortsintheFBAregion,andunlessotherwisecitedisdrawninwholeorinpartfromadraftreporttotheFBAfromtheGreatBarrierReefMarineParkAuthority(GBRMPA2015).
In2009,theOutlookfortheGreatBarrierReefidentifiedwaterqualityandcoastaldevelopmentastwoofthethreemainthreatstotheGreatBarrierReef.ThepublicationInformingtheOutlookforGreatBarrierReefCoastalEcosystems(publishedin2012)showedthatwidespreadmodificationshaveoccurredinmuchoftheGreatBarrierReefcatchment.Whatisnotknowniswhat,ifany,impactthesechangesarehavingontheReefandwhatarethelevelsofacceptablechange?
EcologicalprocessesprovidedbycatchmentcoastalecosystemsarecriticalforthelongtermhealthandresilienceoftheGreatBarrierReef.Ecologicalprocessesincludebiological,biogeochemicalandphysicalprocesses.Forexamplecoastalecosystemssuchaswetlandstrapwaterallowingbiofilmsandaquaticalgaetogrowandassimilateheavymetals,theyallowsedimentstosettleandnutrientstobecycled.Wetlandsalsoslowoverlandflowsallowinggreatergroundwaterrechargeandmoreresidualtimeforecologicalprocessestooccur.TheyarealsoimportanthabitatsandrefugiaforspeciesconnectedtotheReef.
TheEcologicalProcessesCalculatorisageneraltoolforassessingthechangestoecologicalprocessesprovidedbycatchmentecosystemsthatsupportthehealthandresilienceoftheGreatBarrierReef.Thecalculatorcomparesthecapacityofpre-European(pre-clear)coastalecosystemecologicalprocessestothoseofapresentday(2009)catchmentmadeupofnaturalandmodifiedecosystems.Thecalculatorcanalsobeusedtodeterminetheimpactsofimprovedpractices(currentbestpractice)ontheecologicalprocessesprovidedatageneralscaleand,whenusedwith‘bluemaps’asatoolforfunctionalrestorationplanning.
![Page 17: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
14
Scoresareprovidedatabasin-scale,withbasinssubdividedusingtheBlueMaptodistinguishlevelsofconnectivitytoGBR.Finalscoresrangefrompoortoverygood.However,therelevanceofthiswilldependonthequestionandobjective.Ifprotectingintacthabitatisimportant,thenascoreof“verygood”willbeweightedhighly.Ifrestoringdegradedhabitatistoppriority,thenthereverseistrue,andscoresof“poor”shouldhavehigherweighting.
ThecombinedEco-calculatorandBlueMapscanguidemanagementprioritisationintheFBAregionintwogeneralways;usingBlueMapstoidentifythepartsoftheregionwithgreatestconnectivityandthusimpactontheGBR,andthenfocussingonactionsthatwillbestaddresstheissuesidentifiedbytheEco-calculatorasmostimportant,orconversely,onceanumberofsitesareidentifiedforpotentialaction,theycouldbeprioritisedaccordingtothevaluesidentifiedbytheBlueMapandEcoCalculator.
4.1. Methodology
4.1.1. DevelopmentoftheEcologicalProcessCalculator
In2010,theGBRMPAheldaworkshopwithapanelofexpertsfromawiderangeofdisciplinestoidentifyandunderstandtheecologicalprocessesthatareprovidedbycoastalecosystemsforthehealthandresilienceoftheGreatBarrierReef.Thisworkshopidentifiedandrefinedalistofcoastalecosystems,groupedaccordingtosimilaritiesintheecologicalprocessesthattheydeliverfortheGreatBarrierReef.Thesefunctionalgroupswere:estuaries(includesmangrovesandsaltmarsh),freshwaterwetlands,forestedfloodplains,grassandsedgelands,heathandshrublands,rainforests,forestsandwoodlands.Itwasalsorecognisedthatmodifiedcoastalecosystemsimpacton,andcanprovidesomeecosystemservicesfortheGBR,andhenceadditionalecosystemtypeswereincludedforfurtherassessment:grazingnaturalareas,forestry,intensiveanimalproduction,intensivecommercialandresidential,drylandproduction,irrigatedproduction,pondedpastures,waterstorage,transportandmining.TheextentofcoastalecosystemswasthendeterminedbygroupingQueenslandgovernmentRegionalEcosystemsintotheassignedcoastalecosystemsclassifications.Thisgroupingallowedspatialanalysisofchangestovegetationfrompre-Europeantimestocurrenttimes.TheworkshopalsoidentifiedthatthecapacityforeachcoastalecosystemtodeliverecosystemserviceswillvaryacrosstheGBRcatchment,duetochangesinclimate,rainfall,connectivity,landform,andsize.
Theecologicalservicesprovidedbycoastalecosystemsaregroupedintofourmaincategories:Recharge-dischargeprocesses;physicalprocesses(Sediments);biogeochemicalprocesses;andbiologicalprocesses.Adetaileddescriptionofeachoftheindividualprocesses/servicesandhoweachwasquantifiedandscoredisprovidedinGBRMPA(2015),whileasummaryoftheprocessesisprovidedbelow:
Recharge-dischargeprocesses:
![Page 18: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
15
• Detainswater;floodmitigation;potentiallyconnectsaquaticecosystems;regulateswaterflow–groundwater;regulateswaterflow–overlandflows.
PhysicalProcesses(Sediments):
• Sedimentation–fine:trapfinesediments;retainfinesediments;releasefinesedimentsslowly.
• Sedimentation–coarse:trapcoarsesediments;retaincoarsesediments;releasecoarsesedimentslowly.
• Materialtransport:transportsmaterialforcoastalprocesses;particulatedepositionandtransport(sediments,nutrients,chemicals);materialdepositionandtransport(debris,DOM,rock).
Biogeochemicalprocesses:
• Production:Primaryproduction;secondaryproduction.• Nutrient:sourceofN,P;uptakesnutrients;regulatesnutrients.• Carbon:carbonsource;sequesterscarbon;regulatescarbon.• Decomposition:sourceofDOM.• Regulation:salinityregulation;regulatestermpertature.
BiologicalProcesses:
• Survival:habitatrefugiaforaquaticspecieswithreefconnections;habitatforterrestrialspp.connectedtoreef;foodsource;habitatforecologicallyimportantanimals.
• Dispersal:replenishment/ecosystemcolonisation;pathwayformigratoryfish.• Pollinate:Pollination.• Recruitment:habitatcontributessignificantrecruitment.
Foreachriverbasin,theseprocessesarescoredasapercentagechangefrompre-Europeantimes,andtheresultsarepresentedforeachbasindividedintoregionsofconnectivitytotheGBRbasedonBlueMaps(see4.1.3.below).Percentchangefrompre-Europeantimesof±10%wereclassifiedas“VeryGood”,±>10-25%as“Good”,±>25-50%as“Moderate”,±>50-75%as“Poor”,and±>75%and“VeryPoor”.Eachsystemwasthengivenafinalscorecardthataveragedthe%changevaluesfortheprocessesineachcategory.WithineachBlueMapssub-region,thedominantmodifiedecosystemwasidentifiedsinceactionintheseareasislikelytoyieldthegreatestrangeofecosystemservicebenefits.
4.1.2. ApplicationtotheFBAregion
Followingtheworkshop,aliteraturereviewallowedforfurtherassessmentofthecapacityofthesenaturalandmodifiedecosystemstoprovideservices,andtheirvulnerabilities.Fromthis,andecologicalprocessmatrixwasdevelopedandappliedinafurtherworkshoptofocusonindividualbasincase-studiestoallowforvariabilityinecosystemcapacitytobeexamined.ThisledtothedevelopmentoftheCoastalEcosystemAssessmentFramework(GBRMPA2012),whichwasthen
![Page 19: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
16
appliedtoafurther7basinsintheGBRcatchment.Theanalysisidentifiedmanyofthekeyassets,driversandpressuresimpactingonthecapacityofcoastalecosystemstodeliverecologicalprocesses.Thebasinassessmentsalsoidentifiedthatdriversoccurringatabasinscalecansignificantlyimpactuponthecapacityofecologicalprocessdeliveryandthereforeneededtobeconsidered.
Thenextstepwastoquantifytheextentofchangestoecologicalprocessesineachbasin.Asaresulttheecologicalprocesses(fortheGreatBarrierReef)calculatorwasdevelopedforuseincollaborationwithlocalexpertstocapturetheinherentvariabilityinecologicalprocessesdeliveredatfinerscales.Itisdesignedtocapturecoastalecosystemandmodifiedecosystemprocessesatlocalscales(basin–sub-basinscale)andcalculatetheapproximatechangesincapacityofecologicalprocessesdeliveredbetweenpre-clearcoastalecosystemsandthecurrentlandscape(post-clear).Itisnotintendedtobeaprecisetoolandshouldonlybeconsideredaguideinitscurrentform.NotethattheuseofothergroupingsofRegionalEcosystems(RE)(basedonQueensland’sRegionalEcosystemmappingprogram)canbeusedforfinerscaleanalysis.Afulllistofidentifiedecologicalprocessesisavailableinappendix1ofthedraftreport(GBRMPA2015).
TheEcologicalProcessCalculatorusestheworkshopassignedcapacityscores,pre-clearandpost-clearcoastalecosystemextentsandAustralianLandUseMappingProject(ALMUP)landusedata(hectares)tocalculateapercentagechangescoreforeachecologicalprocess.BymergingtheALUMPdataandCoastalEcosystemdataintoanexcelspreadsheet,datacanbecombinedusingthepivottablefunction.Percentagechangescorescanalsobecalculatedforotherspatiallydefinedareassuchasthecoastalzoneorfloodplain.GBRMPAhasusedtheareasofconnectivityboundariesfromtheBlueMapstool.
ThisprocesswasrecentlyappliedspecificallytotheFBARegionthroughworkshopsinvolvinglocalexperts,managersandstakeholders.TheresultingassessmentprovidedcapacityscoresacrosstherangeofecosystemservicesfortheStyx,Waterpark,Fitzroy,Shoalwater,Calliope,andBoynebasins,andidentifiedthedominantmodifiedland-uselikelytodrivechangesincapacitytodeliverecosystemservicesineachbasin.
4.1.3. BlueMaps
TheimportanceofecologicalprocessesandthecapacityofcoastalandmodifiedecosystemstodelivertheseprocesseswithbenefitstotheGreatBarrierReefareoftendependantontheproximityoftheserviceareatotheReef.TheBlueMapsdevelopedbytheGreatBarrierReefMarineParkAuthorityshowtheareasofstrongestconnectivitythroughthemappingofwetterareasofthecatchment(Figs.4.1,4.2).AlthoughthewholecatchmentisconnectedtotheGreatBarrierReef,andsomeprocessessuchassedimenttransportcanoriginatefromthetopofthecatchment,manymoreprocessesoccurwhereconnectivityisgreatest.TheBlueMapsidentifythoseareaswiththegreatestvalueforthedeliveryofecologicalprocessesthatbenefittheGreatBarrierReef(Fig.4.2).
![Page 20: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
17
Figure4.1:DatalayersandconnectivityfrequenciesusedtodefinetheregionsinBlueMaps.
Figure4.2:BlueMapsclassificationsofthelowerFitzroybasindefininglevelsofconnectivitytothewatersoftheGBR.
TheresultingBlueMapsrepresentameasureofareasbasedupontheirfrequencyofconnectionwiththeGBR,eitherdirectlyorthroughthesubterraneanmovement.
4.2. Results
ThedevelopmentoftheEcoCalculatoridentifiedthecapacityofarangeofnaturalandmodifiedcoastalecosystemstoprovideecologicalservicesthatpotentiallybenefittheGBR(Table4.1).Whileitisrecognisedthatthecapacityofspecificecosystemtypestodeliverparticularecologicalservices
![Page 21: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
18
willvarythroughouttheGBRcatchment,theoutputsinTable4.1providearepresentativeindicationofthetypesandextentofservicesprovidedbyeachecosystem.
Table4.1:EcologicalprocessesfornaturalandmodifiedecosystemsintheGBRcatchment.Thedarkerthecell,thehigherthecapacityfortheecosystemtodelivertheecologicalprocess(fromGBRMPA2015).
TheEco-calculatorcanbeusedtohelprefineprioritisationsderivedfromtheintegratedtool,andalsotoidentifythetypeofecosystemservicesanareamayprovide,andthetypeofactionsthatwillprovidethebestimprovementsfortheGBR.
BlueMapswasappliedtoeachoftheNeighbourhoodCatchmentswithintheFBAregion(Fig.2.2).ThisallowedthecalculationoftheareawithineachNCthatliesineachoftheBlueMaps-connectivitycategories.Twenty-nineofthe193NC’scontainedatleastsomelandclassifiedas“VeryFrequentlyConnected”byBlueMaps(Fig.4.1).Ofthese,only2had>25%intheVFCcategory;F2(35%)andF27(26%).VerylittleareawithintheFBAregionwasclassifiedas“FrequentlyConnected”.Only22NCshadlandwithintheFCcategory,andtheproportionofeachNCclassifiedasfrequentlyconnectedrangedfrom<0.01to6%.PartsofeveryNCwithinthebasinareclassifiedas“IntermittentlyConnected”and“InfrequentlyConnected”withthesecategoriescoveringalargeproportionofthewholebasin.
BecausescalingoftheBlueMapsproportionalareaswasweightedtofavourareaswithgreaterconnectivitytotheGBR,the10NC’swiththegreatestareaofVFClandcomprised8ofthetop10finalscoresfromBlueMapsscoring.ThecurrentweightingsystemshouldbecarefullyevaluatedtodetermineifitprovidesappropriatefocusonareasmostcloselyconnectedtotheGBR.Asitstands,theweightedBlueMapsscoresapplyingaweightingof4forareasVFCthroughto1forareasInfrequentlyConnectedassumesforexamplethataunitareaoflandthatisVFChasdoublethevalueofthesameareaoflandthatisonlyintermittentlyconnected.SowhilethecurrentBlueMaps
![Page 22: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
19
weightingprocedurehighlightsNC’smostconnectedtotheGBR,thedetailsoftheweightingsystemneedfurtherconsideration.
![Page 23: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
20
5. FishBarriers
St.LawrenceWeir(BarrierID9393)onStLawrenceCreekisahighprioritybarriertofishpassagewithintheFBAregion(imagefromMarsden2015).
Healthyfunctionalecosystemsthatsupportfishandfisheriesdonotactinisolation,butratherformpartofanecosystemmosaicthatprovidesalltheneedsoffishspeciesthroughouttheirlives.TheFitzroyBasincontainsadiversityofaquatichabitatsfromfreshwaterlagoonsandswamps,smallriversandstreams,throughsomeofthelargestriversonthecontinent,tomangroveswampsandestuaries,allofwhichultimatelyconnectintocoastalwatersandthelagoonoftheGreatBarrierReef.Manyfishinthebasinmakeextensivemovementsduringtheirlives,and23ofthe49fishspeciesrecordedintheFBAregion’sfreshwatersarediadromous,meaningtheyrequireaccesstoestuarineandmarinewaterstocompletetheirlifecycle(Moore&Marsden2008).Theseincludemanyofourmostprizedandiconicspeciessuchasbarramundi.Therefore,maintainingfunctionalconnectivitybetweenthesesystemsiscriticalforeffectivelymanagingtheFitzroyBasin’svaluablefisheryresourcesandbiodiversity.
AllbarrierstofishmigrationwithintheFBAregionwereidentified,assessed,andprioritisedinthe2008FitzroyBasinFishBarrierPrioritisationProject(FBFBPP;Moore&Marsden2008).Thatprojectidentified10,502potentialin-streambarrierstofishmigration,anduseda3-stageprocesstoprioritisethetop30barriersforfutureremediation.Sincethenanumberofbarriershavebeenremediatedwithinthebasin,andin2015thefishbarrierprioritisationwasupdatedtoidentifytheremainingbarriersandcatchmentswiththegreatestneedofremediation(Marsden2015).Thischapterprovidesanoverviewoftheprocessbysummarisingthesereports,includingthekeymethodsandfindingsoftheupdate.TheaimistoprovidemanagerswithanunderstandingoftheissuesandconsiderationssurroundingremediationoffishpassageintheFBAregion,sothatthetoolcanbeusedtosupportprioritisationofmanagementactiontoachievebroaderenvironmentaloutcomes.Forfulldetails,pleaserefertotheoriginal2008andupdated2015reports(Moore&Marsden2008,Marsden2015).
![Page 24: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
21
5.1. PrioritisationMethodology
TheFBFBPPinvolvedathreestageprocesstoprioritisebarriersbasedonarangeofbiological,socialandeconomiccostsandbenefitsofremediation.
• Stage1:automatedGISprocesstoidentifypotentialbarriersandprioritisetop150basedon5broadattributes(Streamorder;positionalongstreamgradient;catchmentcondition;areaofhabitatopenedbyremediation;downstreambarriers).
• Stage2:fieldvalidationconfirmingactualbarriersanddatacollectiononphysical,biologicalandlogisticalparametersrelevanttoremediationefforts;manualrefiningofprioritisation
Stage1:mappingandautomatedGISranking (streamorder;positionalongstreamgradient;catchmentcondition;areaofhabitatopened;downstreambarriers)
Stage2:Fieldvalidationandrefinedscores
(barriertype;streamcondition;watersupply;waterquality;upstreamhabitat
quality)
Stage3:Finalprioritisationscores (cost;availablefinancialsupport;technicalviability;productivity
benefits;conservationsignificance;remediationeffectiveness)
![Page 25: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
22
basedonscoresfor:barriertype;streamcondition;watersupply;waterquality;upstreamhabitatquality.
• Stage3:refinedfinalprioritisationbasedonscoresfor:cost;availablefinancialsupport;technicalviability/difficulty;productivitybenefits;conservationsignificance;remediationeffectiveness.
Adetaileddescriptionofthemethodology,includinglistingofthespecificcriteriaandscoringusedateachstageoftheprocessisprovidedinMoore&Marsden(2008).
5.2. Results
Stage1oftheoriginalFBFPPidentifiedatotalof10,632potentialbarrierstofishpassage;10,502in-stream(Fig.5.1)and131off-streaminwetlands.Afterapplyingthe5initialcriteriathiswasrefineddowntothetop150potentialin-streambarriersforfurtherinvestigation.
![Page 26: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
23
Figure5.1:The10,502potentialin-streambarrierswithintheFitzroyBasinAssociationRegionidentifiedduringStage1ofthe2008prioritisationprocess(fromMoore&Marsden2008).
FieldvalidationinStage2identifiedthat59ofthe150potentialbarriersidentifiedinStage1representedactualbarrierstofishmigration(Fig.5.2).Datacollectionduringthefieldvisitsallowedrankingofthese59actualbarriers.TheapplicationofthecriteriainStage3producedthefinalprioritylistofthetop30barriersforremediationefforts.
![Page 27: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
24
Fig.5.2:Thetop59priorityfishbarriersintheFBAregionasidentifiedduringStage2ofthe2008prioritisationproject(fromMoore&Marsden2008).
The2015re-assessmentconsideredthe59barriersidentifiedatStage2oftheoriginalprocess(Fig.5.2).Itusedthese59ratherthanthefinal30fromStage3inordertostartthere-assessmentprocesswithafocusonfishcommunityimpactsratherthanbroadersocial,economicandlogisticalconsiderations.Althoughtheseotherconsiderationsareimportant,thepurposeofthere-
![Page 28: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
25
assessmentwastoallowthesignificantfishbarrierstobeconsideredinabroaderintegratedprocessincludingtheWetlandsDSS,BlueMapsandEcoCalculator,andassuchitwasimportanttofocusthere-assessmentdirectlyonimpactstofishpassage.
There-assessmentprimarilyaccountedfor13prioritystructuresthathadbeenremediatedtovaryingdegreessincethe2008assessment(Table5.1,Fig.5.3).Theremediationeffortsresultedintheremediatedbarriersbeingremovedfromtheprioritylist,andthescoresforremainingbarriersbeingadjustedduetochangesinthenumberofdownstreambarriersduetotherestorationefforts.
Table5.1:FishpassagebarrierswithintheFABregionthathavebeenremediatedsincethe2008prioritisationproject,andwerethereforeremovedfromthere-assessmentin2015(fromMarsden2015).
Barrier ID
Stream Name Barrier Name/Type Remediation action
Transparency
6474 Fitzroy R Fitzroy Barrage Fishway installation
Low
1 Fitzroy R Eden Bann Weir Fishway installation
Moderate
5 Dawson R Neville Hewitt Weir Fishway installation
High
6 Dawson R Moura Weir Fishway installation
Moderate
9348 Amity Ck Tidal interface crossing/Bund Fishway installation
Very High
1042 Bridge Ck Wumalgi/Pipes Fishway installation
Very High
9002 Cattle Ck Old Hwy/Pipes Removal Very High 9441 Clairview Ck Creek Crossing Removal Very High 531 Moore's Ck Botanical Gardens/Pipes Fishway
installation High
527 Stony Ck Creek Crossing-Byfield S.Forest Fishway installation
Very High
529 Stony Ck Daddy's Crossing/Byfield S.Forest Fishway installation
Very High
8945 Waterpark Ck Waterpark Ck Weir Fishway installation
Moderate
9392 Wran Ck Weir/Pipes Fishway installation
Moderate
![Page 29: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
26
Table5.2:Prioritisationofthe46fishpassagebarriersintheFBAregion,re-assessedinthe2015project(Marsden2015).
Priority Barrier ID Stream Name Barrier Name/Type 1 524 Fitzroy R Redbank Crossing 2 1000 Boyne R Mann's Weir 3 523 Fitzroy R Hanrahan's Crossing 4 3951 Fitzroy R Glenroy Crossing 5 3952 Fitzroy R Craiglee Crossing 6 535 Amity Ck Wumalgi Rd/Pipes 7 9001 Boyne R Awonga Dam 8 6169 Serpentine Lagoon Tidal interface bund wall 9 9393 St.Lawrence Ck St.Lawrence Weir
10 8652 Calliope R Blackgate Rd/Pipes 11 8618 Calliope R Mt Alma Rd Crossing/Pipes 12 8677 Clairview Ck Clairview Weir 13 2 Mackenzie R Tartrus Weir 14 525 Mackenzie R Duaringa Apis Ck Rd 15 3 Mackenzie R Bingegang Weir 16 8354 Boyne R Pikes Crossing 17 8716 Amity Ck Old HWY/Pipes 18 9718 Lake Callemondah Barrage 19 25 Raglan Ck Langmom Rd/Pipes 20 4 Mackenzie R Bedford Weir 21 534 Montrose Ck Weir/Town water supply 22 22 Raglan Ck Upper Raglan/Pipes 23 85 8 Mile Ck Bajool Weir 24 9165 Black Swan Ck Flinders Rd-Rundle Ranges 25 3015 Mackenzie R Tartrus Road Crossing 26 4152 Dawson R Boolburra/Pipes 27 528 Stony Ck Byfield S.Forest 28 82 12 Mile Ck 12 Mile CK Rd/ Pipes 29 8731 Stoodleigh Ck Barretts Rd/Pipes 30 9629 Sandy Ck Next to railline/Pipes 31 530 Stony Ck Freeman's Crossing 32 9000 Ewen Ck Stanage Bay Rd/Pipes 33 526 Lake Callemondah (Police CK Creek Crossing 34 1032 Oakey Ck Archer Station/Pipe 35 8784 Tooloombah Ck (Styx) Rocky Crossing 36 6348 Dawson R Nun's Crossing 37 9550 Block Ck Stanage Bay Rd/Pipes 38 9192 Unnamed Wydham Rd-Gladstone/Pipes 39 69 12 Mile Ck 2nd Barrier u/stream Pipes 40 9041 Coorooman Ck Coorooman Ck Rd/Culverts 41 6144 12 Mile Ck 3rd Barrier u/stream Pipes 42 6198 Nankin Ck Thompsons Pt Rd/ Culverts 43 8642 Unnamed Harvey St - Gladstone/Pipes 44 532 Moore's Ck Musgrave St weir 45 2664 Dawson R Kianga River Rd/Pipes 46 8606 Calliope R Pipes
![Page 30: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
27
Figure5.3:Locationofthe46barriersre-prioritisedinthe2015assessment,andthe13barriersremediatedtovaryingdegreessincethe2008assessment(fromMarsden2015).
5.3. OutcomesandIssues
TheoriginalFBFBPPguidedtheremediationof13barrierstofishpassage.Thishasimprovedconnectivitywithinthebasin,re-connectedpreviouslyisolatedpopulations,andopenedmorehabitatformigratoryfishspeciestoutilise.Therevisedprioritylistfromthe2015re-assessmentprovidesanupdatetoguidefurtherworksonin-streambarriers(Table5.2,Fig.5.3).Asitwasintended,thisprocessisfocusedonprioritisingin-streambarriersforremediationthatprovidethe
![Page 31: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
28
greatestbenefitforthebasinasawhole.The2015report(Marsden2015)identifiedanumberofgapsandissuesthatneedaddressinginordertorealisethebestoutcomesfromfishpassageremediationeffortswithintheFBAregion.
TheFBFBPPspecificallyexcludedbarriersinwetlands,pondedpasturesandotheroff-streamhabitatsinStage1oftheprocess.BecausethefocusoftheFBFBPPwasonconnectivityformigratoryfishthroughouttheregion,andparticularlyfordiadromousspeciesoffisheriessignificance,itprioritisedonlyin-streambarrierswithmoreweightgiventothoseinthecoastalreachesofrivers.Withsuchafocus,off-streamwetlandsrepresentindividualpotentialend-pointsofmigrationsbysuchspecies,whileuplandriversmaybebeyondtheirnaturalrange,andthereforethesesystemsreceivelowweightingintheprioritisationprocess.Marsden(2015)notedthattheseuplandandoff-streamhabitatsareparticularlyimportantforarangeofspecies,includinglocaldiadromousfisheryspeciessuchasbarramundi,andrecommendedthatfutureprioritisationscouldbestratifiedtoensuretheseareasarerepresentedinfutureprioritylists.
Intheoriginal2008report,MooreandMarsden(2008)pointoutthatwhileoff-streamwetlandshavearangeofvaluesforbiodiversity,wecurrentlylacktheunderstandingoftheirfunctionalvaluestoallowtheirinclusionwithintheprioritisationframework.Forexample,whilemanypondedorbundedwetlandspotentiallyprovidevaluablehabitatforfishsuchasbarramundi,withoutaclearunderstandingofthedynamicsoffloodingandphysicalconnectivity,andofimmigration,occupationandemigrationbyfishes,itisimpossibletounderstandtheactualfunctionalvaluesofindividualwetlands,ortheirresponsestoremediationactions.Forexample,apotentialbarriertofishpassageonawetlandmayinfactbetheonlythingthatcausesretentionofenoughwatertoallowthesuccessfuloccupationbyfish;whileconversely,thebarriermaycreateatemporarywetlandthatattractslargenumbersofrecruitingfishes,butsubsequentlydriesoutbeforesuccessfulemigration,therebyformingadeathtrapforfish.Withoutaclearunderstandingoftheseissues,itisnotcurrentlypossibletoincludebundedorpondedpasturesintotheassessment.The2015re-assessmentmadeaclearrecommendationthatfurtherworkisundertakentounderstandhowfloodplainwetlandsfunctionforfishsothattheycanbeincludedintofutureassessments.
Thepreviouslyhighprioritybarriersthathadundergonesomelevelofremediationwereremovedfromthe2015re-assessment.Thisoccurredevenwheretheremediatedbarrierwasstillconsideredtoprovidelowtransparencyforfish(i.e.poorpassage,orstillremainsasignificantbarrier–e.g.FitzroyBarrage,Fig.5.3).Thereisaneed(identifiedinthereport)toassesstheeffectivenessofremediationeffortstoensurepositiveoutcomesfrominvestments.Thisisparticularlyimportantinrelationtoconsideringfurtherfishpassageworksinthebasin.Forinstance,theFitzroyBarrageliesattheheadoftheFitzroyRiverestuary,anddespitetheadditionofafishwaybetweenthe2008and2015assessments,itisconsideredtohavelowtransparency,i.e.itremainsasignificantbarriertofishpassageundermanyconditions.Assuch,workstoimprovefishpassageinanyareasupstreamoftheBarragemaybeineffectiveifthedownstreambarrierremains.
Thereportalsonotestheimportanceofassessingtheeffectivenessofremediationworksinimprovingfishpassage,theappropriatemanagementofanyfishpassagestructures(e.g.fishway),andtheneedforregularre-assessmentofthefunctionalityofexistingfishways.Itisrecommended
![Page 32: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
29
thatthisbecomepartoftheintegrateddecisionsupporttoolsothatmanagerscanmakeinformedchoicesamongoptionsbasedontheperformanceandpracticaleffectivenessofpreviousremediationefforts.
![Page 33: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
30
6. AnIntegratedSystemRepairPrioritisationTool
TheoutputsoftheindividualprioritisationtoolswerecombinedtogenerateanoverallscoringsystemforeachNeighbourhoodCatchmentwithintheFBAregion(Fig.2.2)basedonacombinedscorefromtheFBFBPP,theWetlandsDSS,andBlueMaps.ThisIntegratedToolidentifiesthesub-basinswheremanagementactionscanhavethegreatestimpactforthehealthandwellbeingoftheGBR.Theaimistoprovidemultipleoutcomesatthetargetedsitesensuringfundingisgainingthebesteconomicaloutcomesintandemwiththemostappropriatesystemrepairactions.
6.1. Methods
TheoutputsoftheWetlandsDSS(Fig.3.1),BlueMaps(Fig.4.2)andtheFishBarrierPrioritisation2015(Table5.2,Fig.5.3),werecombinedtoprovideanoverallscoreforeachNeighbourhoodCatchmentwithintheFBAregion(Fig.2.2).Theaimwastoidentifyareaswhereremediationworksormanagementactionscouldpotentiallyprovidemultiplebenefitsacrossarangeofvalues,therebyprovidingthebestreturnsoninvestment.Theoutputsoftheintegratedprioritisationshouldnotbeconsideredasafinalrankingforaction,butratherasidentifyingareastobeconsideredmorecloselyforthepotentialforsynergisticbenefitsfromanyparticularmanagementaction.
Tocombinetheoutputsfromeachtool,scoresfromtheWetlandsDSSandFishBarrierPrioritisationwerefirststandardisedtorangefrom1-10,withthehighestscoringbarrierorwetlandrescaledto10,andthelowestscoringofthoseconsideredrescaledtoascoreof1.The46fishbarriersrankedduringthe2015re-assessment(Table5.2,Fig5.3)wererescaledbasedontheStage2scoresfromthatre-assessment.Thismeansthescoresreflectimpactsonfishpassagewithoutregardtocapacityorcostofremediation.Theresultisthatfishbarriershavingthegreatestimpactonfishpassageinthebasinarescoredmosthighly.The20wetlandsprioritisedinthe2015WetlandsDSSfortheFBAregion(Fig.3.1)wererescaledinthesameway,basedontheoverallscorewhichcombinesthescoresfor“Values”,“Threats”and“Capacity”.
ScoreswerethensummedforeachNeighbourhoodCatchmentwithintheFBA.IndividualfishbarrierswerealwayswithinasingleNC,andanindividualNCmaycontainmorethanonerankedfishbarrier.WetlandsmayspanacrossNCboundaries,andsoscoresforanindividualwetlandmayapplytomorethanoneNC.Asforfishbarriers,anindividualNCmaycontainmorethanonerankedwetland.AllNC’swerethensortedbasedonthepooledFishBarrierandWetlandsDSSscores,andonlythe61NC’scontainingatleastonerankedbarrierorwetlandwereconsideredfurther.
EachoftheNC’scontainingatleastonerankedbarrierorwetlandwasthengivenascorebasedontheBlueMapsmeasureofconnectivitytotheGBR.TheproportionofthetotalareaofeachNCwithineachofthefourBlueMapsconnectivityfrequencycategorieswascalculated.Theseproportionswereweighted(multiplied)asfollows:“VeryFrequentlyConnected”,4;“FrequentlyConnected”,3;“IntermittentlyConnected”,2;and“InfrequentlyConnected”,1.Theresultingscorescouldtheoreticallyrangebetween400(foranNCthatwas100%VFC)to100(anNC100%InfrequentlyConnected).Asfortheotheroutputs,thesescoreswererescaledtorangefrom1-10
![Page 34: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
31
withthehighestscoringNCrescaledto10,andthelowestscoringto1.ThefinalintegratedscoringsystemthensimplysummedtogetherthestandardisedscoresfromtheFishBarrier,WetlandsDSS,andBlueMapstoolstogiveanoverallscoreforeachofthe61NCsconsidered.
6.2. Results
Thetwohighest-scoringNCsub-regions,F27andF2(Fig.6.2,Table6.1)scoredhighlyacrossallthreecomponents,eachcontainedmultiplehighlyrankedfishbarriersandwetlands,andarehighlyconnectedtotheGBR.F27includestheFitzroyestuarywhileF2spansfromtheStyxRivertoSt.LawrenceCreek(Fig.2.2).
![Page 35: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
32
Figure6.1:a)IntegratedprioritisationofFBANeighbourhoodCatchmentsbasedonthesumofthere-scaledscoresfor:b)FishBarriers,c)WetlandsDSS,andd)BlueMaps.ThelocationofeachNCwithintheFBAregionisindicatedinFigure2.2.
Thenext10highestscoringNCs(F17-T29)tendedtoscorehighlyinonlyoneortwoofthethreesub-tools,indicatingwhiletheseregionsmaycontainmultiplebarriersorwetlands,theytendnotto
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50F27
F17
B13
F25
T29 B7
F9
F8
F21 F3
F5
T31
F13
F14
D45
D37
D27
D36
F24
T27
T25
F12 D6
D18
T19
T32 D2
F16
T18
D13
D12
WetlandsDSSscore
0
20
40
F F B F T B F F F F F T F F D D D D F T T F D D T T D F T D D
FishBarrierscore
0
20
40
F F B F T B F F F F F T F F D D D D F T T F D D T T D F T D D
WetlandsDSSscore
0246810
F F B F T B F F F F F T F F D D D D F T T F D D T T D F T D D
BlueMapsscore
a)
b)
c)
d)
![Page 36: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
33
containboth(Table6.1).Onlythreeoftheremaining49NCscontainedbothfishbarriersandwetlandsrankedbytheindividualtools.Someofthese49NCscontainhighlyrankedbarriersorwetlandsdespitescoringpoorlyintheintegratedassessment.Forexample,F18containsasinglerankedfeature,Hanrahan’sCrossing,whichreceivedtheequalsecond-highestscoreofanyfishbarrierintheentireFBAregion(Marsden2015).Similarly,F21containspartoftheLakeMaryComplex,whichwasthe9thhighestscoringwetlandintheWetlandsDSS,yetastheonlyrankedfeatureinF21,thisNCscorespoorlyintheintegratedassessment.
Table6.1:IntegratedscoresforFBAregionNeighbourhoodCatchments.Theindividualre-scaledscoresforeachNCareprovidedfromBlueMaps,FishBarrierPrioritisation,andtheWetlandsDSS,aswellasthefinalIntegratedscores.Notethatindividualbarriersandwetlandswerescoredbetween1and10,soanNCwithascore>10indicatesitcontainsmorethanonerankedbarrierorwetland.For‘BarrierRanking’and‘DSSRanking’,“nr”indicatesnotranked,i.e.didnotcontainarankingbarrierorwetland.BlueMapsrankingsreflectrankforallNC’swithintheFBAregion.
NC ID
Blue Maps score
Fish Barrier score
Wetlands score
ITEGRATEDRANKINGSCORE
Blue Maps
Ranking Barrier
Ranking Wetlands Ranking
F27 8.12 26 11.51 45.62 3 2 5F2 10.00 15.5 19.60 45.10 1 4 1F17 3.25 28.5
31.75 65 1 nr
F1 6.35 16 7.27 29.62 12 3 10B13 7.72 16
23.72 4 3 nr
F15 7.57 2.5 11.81 21.88 6 19 4F25 5.48 4 10.69 20.17 17 17 6F7 6.21
13.91 20.12 14 nr 2
T29 3.47 12.5 4.05 20.02 58 5 14F26 7.59
12.06 19.66 5 nr 3
B7 8.27 9.5
17.77 2 7 nrF28 5.64 11.5
17.14 16 6 nr
F9 7.48 9
16.48 7 8 nrB1 6.23 9
15.23 13 8 nr
F8 5.22
10 15.22 20 nr 7T39 4.33 7.5 2.64 14.47 34 11 19F21 4.91
9.35 14.26 23 nr 8
B12 5.33 8.5
13.83 19 9 nrF3 4.69 9
13.69 29 8 nr
F6 3.05 6.5 3.91 13.46 78 13 15F5 7.13
6.33 13.46 8 nr 12
F18 2.85 9.5
12.35 86 7 nr
![Page 37: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
34
T31 4.72 7
11.72 28 12 nrD47 2.71
8.81 11.52 89 nr 9
F13 4.72
6.77 11.49 27 nr 11B6 6.48 5
11.48 11 15 nr
F14 1.98
9.35 11.32 153 nr 8D3 3.62 5 2.64 11.26 52 15 19D45 2.37
8.81 11.18 121 nr 9
B10 3.09 8
11.09 75 10 nrD37 2.16
8.81 10.97 133 nr 9
B9 3.20 7.5
10.70 69 11 nrD27 1.70
8.81 10.51 168 nr 9
D48 1.67
8.81 10.48 171 nr 9D36 1.62
8.81 10.43 174 nr 9
T35 4.19 5.5
9.69 37 14 nrF24 5.45
3.60 9.05 18 nr 17
F4 4.25 4.5
8.75 36 16 nrT27 4.69
4.05 8.74 30 nr 14
T28 4.07
4.05 8.12 43 nr 14T25 3.45
4.05 7.50 59 nr 14
D8 2.66
4.52 7.18 98 nr 13F12 3.64
3.13 6.77 51 nr 18
D30 3.26 3.5
6.76 64 18 nrD6 2.15
4.52 6.67 135 nr 13
D7 2.00
4.52 6.52 151 nr 13D18 4.88 1.5
6.38 25 20 nr
F19 3.25
3.13 6.38 66 nr 18T19 3.90
2.16 6.06 44 nr 20
T20 3.77
2.16 5.93 48 nr 20T32 1.69
4.05 5.74 169 nr 14
D10 2.07
3.64 5.71 146 nr 16D2 2.93
2.64 5.57 83 nr 19
T21 3.22
2.16 5.39 67 nr 20F16 2.64
2.64 5.28 100 nr 19
D1 2.59
2.64 5.24 103 nr 19T18 2.68
2.16 4.85 94 nr 20
T14 2.67
2.16 4.84 96 nr 20D13 2.55
1 3.55 108 nr 21
B8 2.54 1
3.54 110 21 nrD12 2.44
1 3.44 118 nr 21
D5 2.32
1 3.32 123 nr 21
![Page 38: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
35
6.3. ConsiderationsandLimitations
Theintegratedprioritisationtoolcombiningoutputsfromprioritisationsoffishbarriers,wetlands,andconnectivitytotheGBRprovidesanindicationofareaswithintheFBAregionthatcontainmultiplerankingwetlandsorbarriers,withhighconnectivitytotheGBR.Assuch,theseareasshouldbeexaminedmorecloselywhenconsideringparticularmanagementactions.Theseareasprovidethegreatestpotentialforachievingsynergisticbenefitsacrossmultiplevalueswhenmanagementactionsareundertaken,therebymaximisingoutcomesforinvestment.However,anyparticularactionwithinthehighestrankingNeighbourhoodCatchments(NC)fromtheintegratedassessmentwillnotnecessarilyproducethedesiredoutcomeforavarietyofreasons(explainedbelow).Toachievetheoverallgoalofmostefficientlyimprovingecosystemhealth,itisabsolutelycriticaltounderstandthefunctioningofeachindividualtool,andthelimitationsoftheprocessofcombiningtheseintoasinglescore.
Thecurrentintegratedtoolgivesequalweightingtooutputsfromeachofthethreesub-tools,andtothehighestandlowestrankedfeaturesineach.Thehighestrankedfishbarrierisgivenequalweighttothehighestrankedwetland,andthere-scaledscoresforwetlands,fishbarriers,andBlueMapsaregivenequalweightinginthesummedscoreforeachNC.ItisunlikelythatremediatingthehighestrankedfishbarrierandhighestrankedwetlandwouldprovideequivalentbenefitsforthebasinandtheGBR,yetifconsideredasarankedprioritylist,thecurrentprioritisationassumestheywould.Aswasclearlystressedbythedevelopersofeachofthesub-tools,itiscriticaltohaveclearmanagementobjectivesthatguidetheprioritisationprocess,sinceoutcomesdependgreatlyonvaluejudgementsoftheend-users.
Finalscoresintheintegratedrankingarethesumofre-scaledscoresforindividualfeatureswithintheNC.Assuch,whilehigh-scoringNC’stendtocontainmultiplerankedfeatures,high-rankingbarriersorwetlandsmaybetheonlyrankingfeaturewithinanNC,andsomaygainapoorscoreintheintegratedassessment.Basedonthedetailedprocessforeachindividualprioritisation,remediationofthesehigh-rankingfeaturesmayproducewide-reachingbenefitsforthebasinandtheGBReventhoughtheylieisolatedinlow-scoringNC’s.Thereforeitisimportanttoconsidertheoutcomesoftheindividualprioritisationstogetherwiththatoftheintegratedtool.
Manyfactorsareconsideredacrossmultiplesub-tools.Wheretheyareassignedequivalentvalueandweighting,theresultisaninflationofthefinalscorebasedonscoringmultipletimesforagivenfactor.Conversely,wherethedifferentsub-toolsassignconflictingvaluestoasinglefactor,theeffectisforthescorestocancelout.Forexample,eachofthethreesub-toolshasaclearlyacknowledgeddownstreambias,wherebyfeaturesorareasclosertothecoastreceivegreaterweighting.Whentheoutputsoftheindividualtoolsarecombined,theimportanceofdownstreamareasisgreatlyinflatedoverthoseupstream.WhiletheoverallobjectiveoftheprogramistoimprovetheresilienceoftheGBR,itisnotclearthatthefinalinflatedscoreswithastrongdownstreambiasaccuratelyreflectstheimpactsorbenefitsofremediationactionsindifferentparts
![Page 39: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
36
ofthebasin.AnotherexampleisthetreatmentoffishpassagebarrierswhichareconsideredinboththeFishBarrierandWetlandsDSStools(morethanonceineach).Alargeareaofpotentiallyvaluablewetlandhabitataboveanimpassablefishbarrierwouldscorehighlyinthebarrierprioritisationbecauseremediationofthebarrierwouldopenaccesstoasignificantareaofvaluablehabitat,whilethesameareawouldscorepoorlyintheWetlandsDSS,becauseactioninthewetlandwouldhavelimitedbenefitiffishcannotaccessit.Thesignificanceofthesefactorsinthefinalprioritisationclearlydependsonvaluejudgementsandtheaimsoftheend-users.Havingasystemthatsimplycancelssuchscoresoutorover-inflatesthemisnotsatisfactory.Thereforeitisimportanttore-evaluatetheindividualtoolsinacomprehensivewaytoensurethatfactorsorprocessesaretreatedequivalentlyineach,andthatredundantscoringisremovedtoavoid“doubledipping”orover-inflatingfinalscoresbasedonrepeatedscoreforasinglefactor.
ThefinalrankingsarebasedonscoresthatconsideronlyfeaturesthatliewithintheboundariesofeachNC.Fishbarriersdownstream,orconnectivitytowetlandsorothervaluablehabitatupstreamarenotcurrentlyincludedinthefinalscores.Clearlywhentheunderlyingaimistomakeimprovementsthathavethewidest-reachingoutcomes,itisimportanttofurtherdeveloptheintegratedprioritisationtoincludeupstreamanddownstreamconnectivitywithotherrankedwetlandsorbarriersbeyondtheboundariesofeachindividualNC.WhilethecurrentprioritisationsareheavilyweightedtowardsdownstreamareaswithgreaterconnectivitytotheGBR,itisstillpossiblethatindividualsitesformanagementactionmaybeinfluencedbydownstreamimpacts.
HighscoringNC’smaynotnecessarilyindicateopportunitiesforactionsthathavebroaderimpacts.Thisisbecauseeventhoughtheymayoccurwithinthesamecatchment,individualbarriersorwetlandswithintheNCmayhavelittleornointeractionwitheachother.WhilehighscoringNC’sdoindicatehigherpotentialforsuchsynergies,itiscriticaltocarefullyevaluateactualsynergieswithincandidateNC’sbeforeactionsareplanned.
Theintegratedprioritisationonlyconsidersfishbarriersorwetlandsthatwererankedbytheindividualprioritisationtools.Thefishbarrierprioritisationinitiallyidentifiedsome10,500potentialbarrierswithintheFBAregion,withthefinalprioritisationrankingthetop46foraction.Similarly,theWetlandsDSS2appliedtotheFBAregionconsideredonly40wetlandsfromtheregionandprioritisedthetop20.Theindividualtoolsweredevelopedandimplementedbyexpertsintheirrespectivefields,andtheoutputsclearlyidentifythefishbarriersandwetlandsofhighestpriorityforaction.However,unrankedbarriersorwetlandsmustbeconsideredwhenaimingtoobtainthegreatestbasin-wideoutcomesforanymanagementactions.Forexample,highprioritywetlandsmaybecompletelyinaccessibletomigratoryfishduetounrankedfishpassagebarriersthathavenotbeenconsidered.Likewise,smallmanagementactionsmayprovideaccesstoorimprovementoflargeareasoflow-ornon-rankedwetlands.Sowhileitisclearthatindividualhigh-rankedfishbarriersandwetlandsshouldbeprioritisedformanagementactions,itiscriticaltofullyconsiderthepotentialforun-rankedfeaturestoseriouslyimpactonthesuccessofanymanagementactionatprioritysites.
Thereisaclearneedtomonitorandevaluatethesuccessofpreviousremediationworksinordertoguidethemostefficienteffortonfutureworks.Forexample,aspointedoutbyMarsden(2015),the
![Page 40: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
37
2015re-assessmentoffishbarriersexcludedthoseonwhichsomeremediationworkshadbeencompletedsincethepreviousassessment,regardlessofiftheremediationworkswereentirelyeffective.Asaconsequenceitispossiblethatineffectivepriorworksmayreducethebenefitoffutureworksonotherconnectedfeatures.Forexample,remediationofwetlandsabovetheFitzroyBarragebasedontheassumptionthatthefishwayonthebarrageprovideseffectivepassage.Effortstoimprovefishhabitatabovethebarragemaybeineffectiveifthebarrageitselfremainsasignificantbarriertofish.Therefore,robustevaluationofthesuccessofremediationorrepairworksisanessentialcomponentofanyprocessaimedatgainingthegreatestbenefitfromlimitedfunds.
Nosinglescorecaneffectivelyreflectthefullrangeofvaluesorconsiderationswhenprioritisingthesesystemsforremediationworks.SowhiletheintegratedprioritisationtoolpresentedhereidentifiesareaswithintheFBAregionthatcontainmultiplerankedfeaturesofinterest,carefulconsiderationoftheindividualcomponentsandfactorsthatunderpineachsub-tooliscriticalifthemaximumbenefitsfromremediationorrepairactionsaretoberealised.
![Page 41: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
38
7. Recommendations
Thedocumentedprioritisationprocessesthroughoutthispublicationaremeanttoguidetheenduserandthereforeitwouldbedisadventagoustorelyonasinglefinalscoretoprioritisemanagementactionsbasedoncomplexanddetailedindividualprocesses.Doingsoassumesthatthefinalscoresaccuratelyreflectthegoalsandvaluesoftheend-user.Itisessentialtofullyunderstandeachofthesub-componentssothatthefinalprioritisationdoesreflecttheaims,andachievesthegoalofmaximisingbenefitfrominvestments.
Decisionsupporttoolssuchasthisintegratedprioritisationtoolaimtosupportdecisionmakingbyassemblingandpresentingthecomplexofrelevantinformationinawaythatcanbeunderstoodbydecisionmakers,andcommunicatedtothebroadercommunitysothattheprocessistransparent.Theyarenotintendedtomakedecisionsinthemselves.Rather,theyprovidetherationalebehinddecisionsinawaythatpeoplecanclearlyunderstandhowandwhyparticularfeaturesrankhighlyorpoorlyintheprioritylist.Eachofthesubcomponentsisaflexiblesystem(exceptBlueMaps),andtheoutcomeswillvarydependingonthespecificgoals,objectivesandvaluejudgmentsoftheuser.Assuch,itisessentialthatanytimethetoolisused,thataclearsetofobjectivesisdefined,andtheweightingforeachofthescoringcriteriaareadjustedtomeetthestatedobjectives.
Thekeyrecommendationsarisingfromthisreportare:
• Understandthefunctioningofeachindividualtool,andthelimitationsoftheprocessof
combiningtheseintoasinglescore.
• Haveclearmanagementobjectivesthatguidetheprioritisationprocess,sinceoutcomesdependgreatlyonvaluejudgementsoftheend-users.
• Considertheoutcomesoftheindividualprioritisationstogetherwiththatoftheintegratedtool.
• Re-evaluatetheindividualtoolsinacomprehensivewaytoensurethatfactorsorprocessesaretreatedequivalentlyineach,andthatredundantscoringisremovedtoavoid“doubledipping”orover-inflatingfinalscoresbasedonrepeatedscoreforasinglefactor.
• Furtherdeveloptheuser-interfaceoftheintegratedprioritisationtooltoincludeupstreamanddownstreamconnectivitieswithotherrankedwetlandsorbarriersbeyondtheboundariesofeachindividualNC.
• EvaluateactualsynergieswithincandidateNC’sbeforeactionsareplanned.
• Considerthepotentialforun-rankedfeaturestoseriouslyimpactonthesuccessofanymanagementactionatprioritysites.
![Page 42: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/42.jpg)
39
• Robustevaluationofthesuccessofremediationorrepairworksisanessentialcomponent
ofanyprocessaimedatgainingthegreatestbenefitfromlimitedfunds.
TheidealfinaltoolforprioritisingworkintheFBAregionwillprovidenotonlyasinglefinalscoreforeachNC,butwillallowtheusertodrilldownthroughlayersthatrepresentandcapturethecomplexitiesofeachindividualsub-tool,therebyallowingmanagementdecisionstobebasedonafullappreciationofthecomplexityandconnectivityamongdifferentpartsofthebasin.
![Page 43: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/43.jpg)
40
8. ReferencesGreatBarrierReefMarineParkAuthority(2015)Assessingthechangestoecologicalprocessestothe
GreatBarrierReef.GBRMPATownsville.Unpublishedreport,37pp.
GreatBarrierReefMarineParkAuthority(2012)InformingtheOutlookforGreatBarrierReefCoastalEcosystems.GBRMPA,Townsville.
GreatBarrierReefMarineParkAuthority(2012)CoastalEcosystemsAssessmentFramework2012.GBRMPA,Townsville,29pp.
HLA(2007)WetlandDecisionSupportSystemworkshopmanual.HLAEnvirosciencesPtyLtd,33pp.
JaenschR,WestleyS,SmithP(2015)AprioritisationofFitzroyBasinwetlandsforNRMinvestment.ReporttoFitzroyBasinAssociation,45pp.
Marsden T (2015)Fitzroy BasinAssociation: Fish Barrier PrioritisationUpdate 2015. Report to theFitzroyBasinAssociation.AustralasianFishPassageServices,36pp.
Moore,MandMarsden,T.J.(2008).FitzroyBasinFishBarrierPrioritisationProject.QueenslandDepartmentofPrimaryIndustries,Fisheries.51pp.
GreatBarrierReefOutlookReport2014/GreatBarrierReefMarineParkAuthority(2014),328pp.
9. ClosureThisdocumentwaspreparedforFBAincollaborationwithourProgrampartners.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorrequireadditionaldetails,pleasecontacttheFitzroyBasinAssociationInc.RockhamptonQLD..
![Page 44: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/44.jpg)
Appendices
41
Appendix A: Title
![Page 45: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/45.jpg)
Appendices
42
AppendixB:Title
![Page 46: Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation...2015/11/19 · Ecosystem Repair Prioritisation October 2015 Prepared by Ronald Baker, Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Research Group, College](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022071012/5fca88c4bd584e4b4d6e60d1/html5/thumbnails/46.jpg)