range of associated flow regimes wetlands with community members that have broader flow, water quality, temperature and fire regime tolerances. Adaptive Moderate to Moderate to Poor to Good. Moderate to Moderate to Poor to good. Poor to Moderate. Poor to Moderate Good. Good. Good. Good. Varies in relation The extent and The capacity to Through (Poor, moderate, Moderate where Moderate where: to wetland Moderate where Moderate where persistence of adaptively integrated coastal good) significant community fire the following the following impacts from manage Reef social /economic management investment of sensitivity, apply: apply: climate change catchment constraints limit decision making, resources and wetland condition will depend on the freshwater opportunities to policies and catchment based and land use success of wetland assets in reduce high total large scale older legislation there is Where wetland management context. international the face of grazing pressure water potential to exposure and/or is efforts to curb the pressures infrastructure explicitly sensitivity to required where Poor where levels rate of presented by sea involved and/or medium to high recognise the development invasive species of wetland accumulation of level rise is not wetlands are grazing pressure intrinsic value of pressures has dominate systems disturbance from greenhouse gases tried or tested. used as part of has been freshwater been high on a large spatial other pressures in the supply sustained for wetland habitat scale, represent (invasive grasses, atmosphere, and While this is an infrastructure and implement long periods intensive land long-term chronic climate change) on the resilience important area for protection. use in infestations or create permanent of the ecosystem research and high levels of landscape contributing occur in remote changes in fuel to the changes in development most flow allocation Significant actions context or type of catchments and areas with limited load dynamics, climate that suggested are committed to are already wetland have abutting and into human resources. and associated manifest over approaches consumptive underway to halt made it wetland wild fire risks and coming decades. remain largely uses and reverse the susceptible to boundaries is However have undermined theoretical and decline in water pressure and/or extensive management natural Given current draw on quality entering structure and key flow and models developed recuperative trajectories of experience gained the Great Barrier function of connectivity catchment within the Reef capacity, and/or greenhouse gas on the creation Reef including wetland has associated development catchment in wetlands occur emissions, and maintenance implementation of been modified to processes and
range of associated flow regimes wetlands with community members that have broader flow, water quality, temperature and fire regime tolerances. Adaptive (Poor, moderate, good) Moderate to Good. Moderate where significant investment of resources and catchment based management is required where invasive species dominate systems on a large spatial scale, represent long-term chronic infestations or occur in remote areas with limited human resources. However management models developed within the Reef catchment in Moderate to Good. Moderate where: social /economic constraints limit opportunities to reduce high total grazing pressure medium to high grazing pressure has been sustained for long periods landscape context or type of wetland have made it susceptible to pressure and/or structure and function of wetland has been modified to Poor to Good. Varies in relation to wetland community fire sensitivity, wetland condition and land use context. Poor where levels of wetland disturbance from other pressures (invasive grasses, climate change) create permanent changes in fuel load dynamics, and associated wild fire risks and have undermined natural recuperative capacity, and/or wetlands occur Moderate to Good. Moderate where the following apply: large scale older water infrastructure involved and/or wetlands are used as part of supply infrastructure high levels of flow allocation are committed to consumptive uses key flow and connectivity associated processes and Moderate to Good. Moderate where the following apply: Where wetland exposure and/or sensitivity to development pressures has been high intensive land use in contributing catchments and abutting and into wetland boundaries is extensive catchment development Poor to good. Through integrated coastal management decision making, policies and legislation there is potential to explicitly recognise the intrinsic value of freshwater wetland habitat and implement protection. Significant actions are already underway to halt and reverse the decline in water quality entering the Great Barrier Reef including implementation of Poor to Moderate. The extent and persistence of impacts from climate change will depend on the success of international efforts to curb the rate of accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and on the resilience of the ecosystem to the changes in climate that manifest over coming decades. Given current trajectories of greenhouse gas emissions, Poor to Moderate The capacity to adaptively manage Reef catchment freshwater wetland assets in the face of pressures presented by sea level rise is not tried or tested. While this is an important area for research and development most suggested approaches remain largely theoretical and draw on experience gained on the creation and maintenance
Vulnerability_Assessment_Freshwater_wetlands.docx