A collaborative approach to integrating science, management and communities for improving river health in coastal catchments

Coastal aquatic ecosystems are ecologically, socially and economically valuable, but are commonly degraded by landuse activities. The strong longitudinal connectivity of catchments means that rivers and estuaries can be significantly impacted by upstream issues. Most of the coastal catchments in NSW encompass more than one local government area, so it can be difficult for Councils to prioritise and strategically invest in management to improve aquatic ecosystem health at the catchment scale when the source of degradation is often outside their management area.

Ecohealth is a standardized monitoring program based on a framework of physical, chemical and biological indicators to assess aquatic ecosystem health across coastal NSW Northern Rivers. We present catchment health report cards produced by the Ecohealth program that show scores for water quality, micro- and macroinvertebrate, fish, geomorphic and riparian condition at site, river, sub-catchment, freshwater and estuary, and catchment scales. Condition scores quantify key stressors and identify their spatial extent. This enables Councils and state agencies to collaborate so that investment strategically targets the causes of aquatic ecosystem degradation at the appropriate spatial scale. The production of a report card for each council provides an effective education and communication tool for natural resource management. Investment in long-term (return monitoring every 4 years) and large-scale (>400 sites in northern NSW rivers and estuaries) Ecohealth monitoring provides natural resource management, community education and research (e.g., development of regional water quality trigger values; reference condition for riparian vegetation) outcomes for partners.