Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Northern Australia floodplain and coastal wetlands

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Millennium Ecosystem AssessmentNorthern
Australia floodplain andcoastal wetlands

• Max Finlayson
• National Centre for Tropical Wetland Research
• Darwin, NT

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Northern Australia floodplain andcoastal wetlands

• Aim
• Participation
• Geographic Region / Location
• Data sources / Scale
• Components
• Next steps

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Aim

• Provide information on the floodplain and coastal
  ecosystems and their services at multiple scales
  and taking into account multiple pressures

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Geographic Region / Location

• Northern Australia east of Darwin
• Coastal biogeographic region
• Alligator Rivers 28 000 km2
• Catchments of three rivers
• Kakadu National Park World Heritage Ramsar
  listed

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Geographic Region / Location
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Participation

• Discussed through existing panels, boards
• Biophysical scientists
• Social scientists
• Management agencies
• Local community / indigenous
• Private sector

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Data sources

• Information derived from current or planned
  projects
• Biophysical features extensive ready access
• Social/cultural features extensive discuss
  access
• Floodplain services variable derived from
  biophysical data and managers
• Pressures extensive analyses risk assessments
  underway

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Scale

• Biogeographical or catchment scale 1100 000 to
  1250 000
• Catchment scales 150 000 to 1100 000
• Habitats / river reaches 110 000

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Components

• Inventory/mapping GIS multiple scale
• Floodplain services indigenous, biodiversity,
  tourism, recreation (fish stocks, mitigation of
  climate change, cattle grazing)
• Risk assessment of major pressures invasive
  species, water pollution, infrastructure,
  burning, climate change

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Hierarchical approach to wetland inventory
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The Risk Assessment Framework(modified from van
Dam et al. 1999 Ramsar 2000)
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Major pressures
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Major pressures insidious effects of climate
change
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Next steps

• Further consultation with participants,
  advisors and stakeholders
• Collation / analysis based on previous and
  current projects
• Communication discussing and finalising
  analyses and outcomes

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Thank you