Research Priorities to Improve Future Environmental Water Outcomes

Frontiers in Environmental Science

Barry Hart¹  Angela H. Arthington²  Mike Acreman³  N. LeRoy Poff⁴  Avril C. Horne⁵  J. Angus Webb⁵  Brian Richter⁵  Michael McClain⁶  Erin O'Donnell⁷  Nicholas Bond⁹  Michael J. Stewardson^1,10 

[1] Hydrology, Wallingford, United Kingdom;Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia;;Centre for Ecology &Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States;Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources Group, Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia;Institute for Water Education, IHE Delft, Delft, Netherlands;Law School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia;Sustainable Waters, Crozet, VA, United States;The Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre, Wodonga, VIC, Australia;Water Science, Echuca, VIC, Australia;

关键词: environmental flows;    environmental water;    horizon scanning;    adaptive management;    active management;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fenvs.2017.00089

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Significant progress in environmental flow management has occurred in recent years due to several factors. These include governments committing to environmental flow programs, significant progress in scientific understanding, and environmental flow assessment methods that are cognizant of stakeholder participation and co-design. However, there remain key challenges facing environmental water management. In this paper, we report on a horizon scanning exercise that identified the questions, which, if answered, would deliver much needed progress in the field of environmental water management. We distributed an online survey to ask researchers and practitioners in the field of environmental water management to identify the key questions. The authors then consolidated 268 submitted questions and organized them into key themes. The consolidated list was presented to a workshop of environmental water researchers and practitioners, where attendees were asked to review the questions, vote on the most important, and provide feedback on gaps, issues, or overlaps. The breadth of issues facing environmental water management is captured by the six key themes into which questions were classified: (1) Ecological knowledge and environmental flow assessment methods, (2) Adaptive management, (3) Integrated management and river objectives, (4) Knowledge transfer: applying best practice in a global context, (5) Community knowledge and engagement, and (6) Active management. These questions provide a roadmap for research and management innovations that will improve the effectiveness of environmental flows programs.

【 授权许可】

Unknown