Both ecological data and societal values should be considered when evaluating outcomes from environmental watering for non-woody vegetation. This Flow-MER research project, led by Dr Cherie Campbell, developed a structured framework for assessing the condition of non-woody vegetation that incorporates both.

Non-woody vegetation fringes watercourses and grows in the rivers and wetlands of the Murray–Darling Basin. It includes grasses, sedges, reeds, rushes, herbs, macroalgae and seagrass. It’s dynamic in space and time and plays a key role in river–floodplain ecosystems by providing food and habitat for other plants and animals.

Non-woody vegetation can be effectively managed using environmental water in many parts of the Basin. To evaluate the results of environmental watering, we first need to figure out what is ‘good’ – what we’re trying to achieve, why it’s important, and how to track progress. However, there are no clear benchmarks or definitions of success for non-woody vegetation condition to provide simple targets for monitoring and adaptive management.

This research used a combination of expert opinion, societal values, ecological data, literature and conceptual understanding to rethink the way condition is used to envisage, evaluate and communicate vegetation responses to environmental water. It also provides practical advice for water managers to set benchmarks, define watering goals, and choose the right monitoring metrics.

These results provided the foundation for the conceptual framework establishing the evaluation questions for Flow-MER. This work is also being incorporated into the Murray–Darling Basin Authority’s work program for native vegetation, including helping to improve environmental water planning and monitoring. This research can also be used more widely to monitor and assess the impact of environmental watering or other management activities on non-woody vegetation.

Read the full report from this work at: Characterising condition for non-woody vegetation in floodplain-wetland systems (Research paper, PDF)

Delve deeper into this research by watching Dr Campbell’s Flow-MER Friday webinar and reading this article on why we’re drawn to rivers, wetlands and floodplains.