Ecosystem Response Modelling in the Murray-Darling Basin

Ecosystem Response Modelling in the Murray-Darling Basin provides an overview of the status of science in support of water management in Australia’s largest and most economically important river catchment, and brings together the leading ecologists working in the rivers and wetlands of the Basin.

The declining ecological condition of the internationally significant wetlands of the Murray-Darling Basin has been a prominent issue in Australia for many years. Several high profile government programs have sought to restore the flow conditions required to sustain healthy wetlands, and this book documents the scientific effort that has underpinned this task.

This book documents research from the Southern Murray-Darling Basin, aimed at informing water use in the
iconic wetlands along the Murray: the Chowilla Floodplain, the River Murray; the Barmah-Millewa Forest and
the Coorong and Murray mouth. Within the Northern Murray-Darling Basin, it covers current research and
knowledge of the Gwydir Wetlands, the Macquarie Marshes, and the wetlands of the lower Murrumbidgee
and lower Lachlan rivers.

Key features
• Leading scientists provide an overview of the ecology and management issues for prominent sites within
the Murray-Darling Basin, including six of Australia’s Ramsar sites
• Documents an emerging field of science: flow-response modelling and decision support for environmental water management
• Addresses fundamental concepts of ecosystem response modeling and provides guidance in this field of
science

Neil Saintilan is Principal Research Scientist in the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change where he heads the Rivers and Wetlands Unit. He has spent more than 20 years exploring the ecology of coastal wetlands, including mangroves and saltmarshes. He and his students have discovered the importance of coastal saltmarsh a range of organisms including crustaceans, birds, fish and bats, and have documented the vulnerability of coastal saltmarsh to sea level rise. Professor Saintilan lives in Sydney.

Ian Overton is the Leader of the Environmental Water Stream within the CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country National Research Flagship. He is a Senior Research Scientist working on spatial eco-hydrology.