River research for the public good
We aim to provide the science and knowledge that governments, communities and industries need for the sustainable use and management of Australia’s tropical rivers and estuaries.
Research area
Our research relates to an area that stretches from Broome in Western Australia to Cape York in Queensland.
Research themes
Our seven research themes are interconnected:
- Scenario Evaluation
- Assets and Values
- Classifying tropical rivers
- Water, carbon, sediment and nutrients
- Food webs and biodiversity
- Sustainable enterprises
- Communicating and integrating
This ‘big picture’ theme draws from all other themes to deliver graphical tools for exploring the social, cultural, environmental and economic implications of change for our tropical rivers and estuaries.
Predictions based on realistic scenarios can inform public debate, stimulate community action and help policy makers explore solutions to conflicting stakeholder needs.
- Download fact sheet 1 - River Futures in Australia's Tropical North
- Download fact sheet 2 - Building better Indigenous Participation
- Download fact sheet 3 - Collaborative water planning
Working closely with landowners, land managers, industry and community groups, we are examining the full range of values associated with tropical rivers.
We are assessing the effects of water use decisions on social, cultural, economic and ecological values and exploring ways to better incorporate these values in decision making.
We are developing a physical classification system to characterise riverscapes in the region based on their flow patterns and how they form and evolve.
We are also seeking to understand the demographic and economic character of local communities in nominated catchments, and how this relates to the physical classification.
- Download fact sheet 1 - People and the economy
- Download fact sheet 2 - Classifying river landscapes
- Download fact sheet 3 - Sorting Australian Rivers by ecology and flow
We are developing models to predict the effects of land use and climate change on the sources, amounts and movement of water, carbon, sediment, and nutrients.
Indicators for monitoring and assessing water quality and quantity are also being developed.
- Download fact sheet 1 - Sediment and waterholes
- Download fact sheet 2 - Sediment and nutrient loads
- Download fact sheet 4 - Water budgets
In tropical aquatic systems, the sources of organic matter that drive the foodwebs are largely unknown.
We are:
- identifying these sources
- developing models that predict the effects of land use change on foodwebs and aquatic biodiversity
- developing tools for determining environmental flows and monitoring biodiversity and ecological condition
- Download fact sheet 1 - River foodwebs
- Download fact sheet 2 - Waterhole foodwebs
- Download fact sheet 3 - Floodplain foodwebs
- Download fact sheet 4 - Healthy estuaries
- Download fact sheet 5 - Estuarine fish
- Download fact sheet 8 - Diversity of river life
We are identifying sustainable and culturally appropriate uses of riverine and coastal resources, which offer opportunities for innovative enterprise development in remote and regional communities.
We are synthesising knowledge from the different research themes and tailoring it to local communities, regional natural resource management bodies and government policy makers.
To maximise local ownership, we are inviting local communities to participate in the research.
Contact the TRaCK office to register your interest.
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