Key ecosystem functions and their environmental water requirements

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) commissioned Alluvium to develop flow requirements associated with ecosystem functions within the system. The project worked with the underlying assumption that the key functions are underpinned by processes which can be described by the geomorphology and hydrology of any subject reach.

The project used available ecological, hydraulic and geomorphological studies to classify rivers in the basin, their ecological functions and associated environmental flow requirements. Targets were proposed for each of the flow requirements. Finally a method was proposed for prioritising river valleys based on their environmental values.