the river styles framework has been used to support river management in australia, new zealand, united states and brazil. in australia, the department of industry (new south wales) used the river styles framework as a key component in developing the river condition index (rci) as a tool to assess river value, risk to river value and to monitor changes in river condition over time. the river styles framework also contributes to the method for determining 'high ecological value aquatic ecosystems' (hevae) as part of the australian national water initiative.