Introduction Project context In 2012, the Australian Government established an Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development (IESC) to provide scientific advice to government regulators on the impacts that coal seam gas (CSG) extraction and large coal mining development may have on Australia’s water resources. The IESC is supported by the Office of Water Science (OWS) within the Australian Government Department of the Environment. The OWS conducts research areas under three priority themes: hydrology: changes in dynamics and aquifer interconnectivity ecosystems and water: environmental tolerances, responses and mitigation chemicals: water-related risks to environmental health. Monitoring, assessment and evaluation of cumulative impacts is a cross-cutting theme across the three priority themes. This project, modelling ecological responses to coal seam gas extraction and coal mining, provides the theoretical basis for subsequent projects within the second theme above, Ecosystems and water (hereafter referred to as the theme’). The aim of this ‘Ecology project was to explore the development of tools specifically to assess the waterrelated ecological impacts of coal seam gas extraction and coal mining projects in Australia. The IESC also provides advice to the Australian Government on bioregional assessments (BA). In this context, a bioregional assessment is a collation of baseline information on the ecology, hydrology, geology and hydrogeology of a designated region, termed a bioregion, with explicit assessment of the potential direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of coal seam gas extraction and coal mining on water resources. Bioregional assessments and other research aim to improve the knowledge base regarding the potential water-related impacts of coal seam gas extraction and coal mining. The Bioregional Assessment Programme targets regions with significant coal deposits. Assessments are currently being undertaken in 13 subregions within six bioregions across central and eastern Australia, including the Clarence-Moreton Basin. As part of the bioregional assessments, the direct, indirect and cumulative impacts on receptors representing ecological, economic and socio-cultural water-dependent assets will be reported. This Ecology theme project and an expert-panel workshop (section 3.3) explored approaches for developing ecological conceptual models that portray likely ecological water-related responses to coal seam gas extraction and coal mining, providing a framework that could be drawn upon by related work, such as the bioregional assessments. Purpose and outline of this report
Introduction Project context In 2012, the Australian Government established an Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development (IESC) to provide scientific advice to government regulators on the impacts that coal seam gas (CSG) extraction and large coal mining development may have on Australia’s water resources. The IESC is supported by the Office of Water Science (OWS) within the Australian Government Department of the Environment. The OWS conducts research areas under three priority themes: hydrology: changes in dynamics and aquifer interconnectivity ecosystems and water: environmental tolerances, responses and mitigation chemicals: water-related risks to environmental health. Monitoring, assessment and evaluation of cumulative impacts is a cross-cutting theme across the three priority themes. This project, modelling ecological responses to coal seam gas extraction and coal mining, provides the theoretical basis for subsequent projects within the second theme above, Ecosystems and water (hereafter referred to as the ‘Ecology theme’). The aim of this project was to explore the development of tools specifically to assess the waterrelated ecological impacts of coal seam gas extraction and coal mining projects in Australia. The IESC also provides advice to the Australian Government on bioregional assessments (BA). In this context, a bioregional assessment is a collation of baseline information on the ecology, hydrology, geology and hydrogeology of a designated region, termed a bioregion, with explicit assessment of the potential direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of coal seam gas extraction and coal mining on water resources. Bioregional assessments and other research aim to improve the knowledge base regarding the potential water-related impacts of coal seam gas extraction and coal mining. The Bioregional Assessment Programme targets regions with significant coal deposits. Assessments are currently being undertaken in 13 subregions within six bioregions across central and eastern Australia, including the Clarence-Moreton Basin. As part of the bioregional assessments, the direct, indirect and cumulative impacts on receptors representing ecological, economic and socio-cultural water-dependent assets will be reported. This Ecology theme project and an expert-panel workshop (section 3.3) explored approaches for developing ecological conceptual models that portray likely ecological water-related responses to coal seam gas extraction and coal mining, providing a framework that could be drawn upon by related work, such as the bioregional assessments. Purpose and outline of this report