This document discusses river health assessment using hydrological indicators. It introduces applying such methods to the Taizi River basin in China. The objectives are to assess hydrological health in the river, develop a new hydrological stress index sensitive to local conditions, and test the new method. Key points covered include how hydrology responds to and drives ecology, choices in hydrological indicators, and analyzing hydrological data from stations on the Taizi River and its tributaries.
This document discusses using existing hydrology and water quality data in river health assessments. It notes that existing data is low-cost, provides long-term records, and quality control. The document outlines how to incorporate existing data by locating river health sites near monitoring stations and summarizing historical records. It also describes converting hydrology and water quality data into indicator scores from 0 to 1 to assess river health.
Jennifer Martin gave a presentation on November 23, 2009 about aquatic ecosystems policy to the Aquatic Ecosystems Policy Section. The presentation covered policies relating to aquatic ecosystems and was given on behalf of Di Conrick from the Australian government's environment department website. The presentation addressed aquatic ecosystem policies.
The document summarizes the role and work of Environment and Resource Sciences (ERS) which provides scientific support to the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) and Queensland Government. ERS conducts applied science using innovative techniques across areas such as water quality, ecosystems, coal seam gas impacts, vegetation management, air quality, and more. Key current projects include monitoring floods/cyclones, land management impacts on the Great Barrier Reef, remote sensing of vegetation, interactions of land condition and water quality, and monitoring of iconic species. Future work focuses on developing evidence for policy using integrated and innovative approaches across landscapes.
The document discusses the Healthy Waterways Report Card, which is used in South East Queensland, Australia as an effective tool for public-private partnerships. The report card synthesizes annual monitoring results into ratings for waterways from A to F. It is presented publicly and increases community awareness of waterway health. The report card also tracks the success of management actions in achieving environmental values.
The Healthy Waterways Partnership works collaboratively across government, industry, research and community groups to manage water quality and catchments in South East Queensland through programs that protect waterways, manage sources of pollution, and restore habitats. Modelling and monitoring are used to identify priority areas for managing sediment, nutrients and other pollutants from urban, rural and natural sources to achieve water quality objectives for estuaries and coastal waters. Progress is tracked through report cards using ecosystem health and biological indicators to guide ongoing management strategies and investments.
The document provides an overview of a project to assess river health and environmental flows in China. It describes pilot studies conducted on the Gui River and Yellow River, including collecting biological samples to evaluate river health. The goal is to trial international approaches to assessment and consider applying the methods nationally to influence policies.
This document discusses river health assessment using hydrological indicators. It introduces applying such methods to the Taizi River basin in China. The objectives are to assess hydrological health in the river, develop a new hydrological stress index sensitive to local conditions, and test the new method. Key points covered include how hydrology responds to and drives ecology, choices in hydrological indicators, and analyzing hydrological data from stations on the Taizi River and its tributaries.
This document discusses using existing hydrology and water quality data in river health assessments. It notes that existing data is low-cost, provides long-term records, and quality control. The document outlines how to incorporate existing data by locating river health sites near monitoring stations and summarizing historical records. It also describes converting hydrology and water quality data into indicator scores from 0 to 1 to assess river health.
Jennifer Martin gave a presentation on November 23, 2009 about aquatic ecosystems policy to the Aquatic Ecosystems Policy Section. The presentation covered policies relating to aquatic ecosystems and was given on behalf of Di Conrick from the Australian government's environment department website. The presentation addressed aquatic ecosystem policies.
The document summarizes the role and work of Environment and Resource Sciences (ERS) which provides scientific support to the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) and Queensland Government. ERS conducts applied science using innovative techniques across areas such as water quality, ecosystems, coal seam gas impacts, vegetation management, air quality, and more. Key current projects include monitoring floods/cyclones, land management impacts on the Great Barrier Reef, remote sensing of vegetation, interactions of land condition and water quality, and monitoring of iconic species. Future work focuses on developing evidence for policy using integrated and innovative approaches across landscapes.
The document discusses the Healthy Waterways Report Card, which is used in South East Queensland, Australia as an effective tool for public-private partnerships. The report card synthesizes annual monitoring results into ratings for waterways from A to F. It is presented publicly and increases community awareness of waterway health. The report card also tracks the success of management actions in achieving environmental values.
The Healthy Waterways Partnership works collaboratively across government, industry, research and community groups to manage water quality and catchments in South East Queensland through programs that protect waterways, manage sources of pollution, and restore habitats. Modelling and monitoring are used to identify priority areas for managing sediment, nutrients and other pollutants from urban, rural and natural sources to achieve water quality objectives for estuaries and coastal waters. Progress is tracked through report cards using ecosystem health and biological indicators to guide ongoing management strategies and investments.
The document provides an overview of a project to assess river health and environmental flows in China. It describes pilot studies conducted on the Gui River and Yellow River, including collecting biological samples to evaluate river health. The goal is to trial international approaches to assessment and consider applying the methods nationally to influence policies.
This document discusses Australia's National Water Quality Management Strategy and its goals of protecting water resources while allowing for economic and social development. It outlines the strategy's key elements which include defining environmental values and water quality objectives, establishing water quality guidelines, developing monitoring programs, and taking management responses to achieve the objectives. The strategy takes a catchment-based approach and uses tools like predictive models and monitoring to assess progress towards the objectives.
The document provides an overview of Australia's Murray-Darling Basin water management plan. It discusses challenges like overallocation and environmental degradation. It outlines the Commonwealth Water Act of 2007 that enabled the basin plan and established the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to develop the plan. The plan will set environmentally sustainable levels of water usage and aims to improve river health, water security, and economic and social outcomes through tools like purchasing water entitlements for the environment and improving water information. State water plans will need to comply with the basin plan requirements.
The document provides an overview of water planning in Queensland. It discusses (1) previous problems with incremental water management that did not consider basin-wide impacts, (2) the state's responsibility to manage water resources through plans and licenses, and (3) the current two-part water planning process involving water resource plans and resource operations plans developed through technical assessments, community consultation, and hydrological modeling to allocate water between human and environmental needs while allowing water trading.
The document discusses China's National River Health Monitoring and Restoration Program. It outlines challenges facing China's rivers, including water pollution, soil erosion, and floods. It then describes the national program to regularly assess river health, establish standards and methods, conduct monitoring, and produce biennial reports. The program aims to improve river water quality, hydrology, habitats, ecology, and functions. It will assess pilot rivers from 2010-2013 and establish a framework for defining and measuring healthy rivers.
This document outlines the guiding principles for river health assessment. It discusses identifying objectives, why monitoring is important, tools to quantify river health like macroinvertebrates and fish, conceptual models, river classification, testing indicators, and selecting benchmarks. The key steps are to identify objectives, suitable indicators, conceptual models, river types, refine sampling, select benchmarks, report, and implement management actions. Healthy rivers provide ecosystem services like drinking water and biodiversity. Monitoring helps protect important environmental values from threats like pollution and habitat loss.
This document provides an overview of CSIRO (Australia's national science agency) and its Water for a Healthy Country Flagship program. CSIRO has over 6,500 staff across 55 locations conducting research in top fields. Its strategy includes delivering on national challenges through large, long-term research programs like the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship. This flagship aims to provide water management solutions to create $3 billion in economic benefits while protecting water ecosystems. It conducts integrated research on issues like climate impacts, water availability, flows, and environmental flows to help manage water resources under climate change.
Queensland's water planning process has two parts: (1) a Water Resource Plan which involves technical assessments, community consultation, and public review; and (2) a Resource Operations Plan which implements the WRP through monitoring, assessment and 10-year reviews. The WRP considers factors like hydrology, water use, climate change and environmental values.
The document introduces the Framework for the Assessment of River and Wetland Health (FARWH), which provides guidelines for assessing and reporting on the health of rivers and wetlands nationally. It is an overarching framework that allows for comparison of assessments within and across jurisdictions, without replacing existing monitoring programs. FARWH assesses six elements of river and wetland health and uses existing data, providing standardized methodologies for national comparability. Trials of FARWH help validate the model, develop indicators, estimate costs, and provide opportunities for scientific and policy input across states.
The document discusses two methodologies for determining environmental flows: DRIFT and ELOHA. DRIFT is a rapid, scenario-based approach using an expert panel that focuses on alterations to flow volume. ELOHA is a more comprehensive, regional-scale approach that considers all ecologically relevant components of flow regimes. It classifies rivers and develops flow alteration-ecological response relationships specific to each river class. The document provides an example of using ELOHA to determine environmental flows for a new reservoir on a river like the Li Jiang by learning from rivers already altered.
This document discusses using existing hydrology and water quality data in river health assessments. It notes that existing data is low-cost and provides historical context. The document outlines how to incorporate existing data sites into new monitoring programs and convert hydrology and water quality data into indicator scores, such as by calculating the percentage of time flow or water quality targets are met.
This document discusses the level at which water take would compromise key environmental assets, ecosystem functions, productive base, and environmental outcomes for a water resource. It suggests monitoring water levels to ensure take does not exceed this level. Maintaining water levels protects the environment while allowing controlled water use.
Australia is developing a national river health monitoring framework to standardize assessments across states. Trials of the Framework for Assessment of River and Wetland Health (FARWH) took place from 2005-2011. FARWH uses six indices - hydrology, physical form, catchment disturbance, fringing zone, aquatic biota, and water quality - to assess condition on a scale of 0 to 1. The trials found this approach was achievable but more work is needed to define reference conditions. A two-tiered assessment approach was proposed using broadscale desktop assessments followed by targeted field assessments. Five options were presented for national reporting ranging from the current jurisdictional approach to national reporting every 5 years with both broadscale and detailed field assessments
The document summarizes water monitoring efforts at several river catchment sites that drain into the Great Barrier Reef. Key details include:
1) Water samples are taken from sites near the end of river systems like the Barron, Johnstone, and Tully Rivers to monitor runoff entering the reef.
2) Gauging stations are used to collect discharge data and many have telemetry to provide near real-time data.
3) Equipment used includes gauges, sensors, and current meters maintained by the Hydrographic Support group to collect and store time series data.
1) The document discusses environmental flows and management scenarios for sustaining river ecosystems. It describes global declines in river health due to loss of flows and impacts of flow regime changes.
2) Two management scenarios are presented: determining environmental flows for a new reservoir, and prioritizing flows for multiple assets with limited water. Assessment methods ranging from rapid to comprehensive are discussed.
3) The ecological significance of natural flow regimes is explored, with flow identified as a master variable influencing physical/chemical characteristics and species distributions in rivers and floodplains.
This document summarizes the key steps and findings of a river health assessment conducted in South East Queensland, Australia. The assessment aimed to develop a common vision for the long-term management of the region's waterways. Key steps included identifying objectives, indicators of ecosystem health, conceptual models linking drivers to impacts, river classification, testing indicators, and selecting benchmarks. The final program implemented 5 indicators and 16 indices to monitor 120 freshwater sites twice yearly and support management actions to address threats to ecosystem health.
The International WaterCentre (IWC) Master of Integrated Water Management program is designed to equip future water leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to create innovative, ‘whole-of-water-cycle’ solutions to local and global water challenges. The degree is co-badged and co-taught by IWC's four founding member universities: The University of Queensland, Griffith University, Monash University and The University of Western Australia.
The document discusses the importance of monitoring river health by selecting meaningful indicators. Key points include:
- River health depends on human values and can be assessed similarly to human health.
- Rivers face threats from pollution, loss of floodplains, and dams that block flows.
- Monitoring is important to protect environmental assets like biodiversity and drinking water.
- Effective monitoring requires clear objectives, indicators linked to threats, conceptual models, river classification, and reporting to guide management actions.
This document discusses Australia's National Water Quality Management Strategy and its goals of protecting water resources while allowing for economic and social development. It outlines the strategy's key elements which include defining environmental values and water quality objectives, establishing water quality guidelines, developing monitoring programs, and taking management responses to achieve the objectives. The strategy takes a catchment-based approach and uses tools like predictive models and monitoring to assess progress towards the objectives.
The document provides an overview of Australia's Murray-Darling Basin water management plan. It discusses challenges like overallocation and environmental degradation. It outlines the Commonwealth Water Act of 2007 that enabled the basin plan and established the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to develop the plan. The plan will set environmentally sustainable levels of water usage and aims to improve river health, water security, and economic and social outcomes through tools like purchasing water entitlements for the environment and improving water information. State water plans will need to comply with the basin plan requirements.
The document provides an overview of water planning in Queensland. It discusses (1) previous problems with incremental water management that did not consider basin-wide impacts, (2) the state's responsibility to manage water resources through plans and licenses, and (3) the current two-part water planning process involving water resource plans and resource operations plans developed through technical assessments, community consultation, and hydrological modeling to allocate water between human and environmental needs while allowing water trading.
The document discusses China's National River Health Monitoring and Restoration Program. It outlines challenges facing China's rivers, including water pollution, soil erosion, and floods. It then describes the national program to regularly assess river health, establish standards and methods, conduct monitoring, and produce biennial reports. The program aims to improve river water quality, hydrology, habitats, ecology, and functions. It will assess pilot rivers from 2010-2013 and establish a framework for defining and measuring healthy rivers.
This document outlines the guiding principles for river health assessment. It discusses identifying objectives, why monitoring is important, tools to quantify river health like macroinvertebrates and fish, conceptual models, river classification, testing indicators, and selecting benchmarks. The key steps are to identify objectives, suitable indicators, conceptual models, river types, refine sampling, select benchmarks, report, and implement management actions. Healthy rivers provide ecosystem services like drinking water and biodiversity. Monitoring helps protect important environmental values from threats like pollution and habitat loss.
This document provides an overview of CSIRO (Australia's national science agency) and its Water for a Healthy Country Flagship program. CSIRO has over 6,500 staff across 55 locations conducting research in top fields. Its strategy includes delivering on national challenges through large, long-term research programs like the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship. This flagship aims to provide water management solutions to create $3 billion in economic benefits while protecting water ecosystems. It conducts integrated research on issues like climate impacts, water availability, flows, and environmental flows to help manage water resources under climate change.
Queensland's water planning process has two parts: (1) a Water Resource Plan which involves technical assessments, community consultation, and public review; and (2) a Resource Operations Plan which implements the WRP through monitoring, assessment and 10-year reviews. The WRP considers factors like hydrology, water use, climate change and environmental values.
The document introduces the Framework for the Assessment of River and Wetland Health (FARWH), which provides guidelines for assessing and reporting on the health of rivers and wetlands nationally. It is an overarching framework that allows for comparison of assessments within and across jurisdictions, without replacing existing monitoring programs. FARWH assesses six elements of river and wetland health and uses existing data, providing standardized methodologies for national comparability. Trials of FARWH help validate the model, develop indicators, estimate costs, and provide opportunities for scientific and policy input across states.
The document discusses two methodologies for determining environmental flows: DRIFT and ELOHA. DRIFT is a rapid, scenario-based approach using an expert panel that focuses on alterations to flow volume. ELOHA is a more comprehensive, regional-scale approach that considers all ecologically relevant components of flow regimes. It classifies rivers and develops flow alteration-ecological response relationships specific to each river class. The document provides an example of using ELOHA to determine environmental flows for a new reservoir on a river like the Li Jiang by learning from rivers already altered.
This document discusses using existing hydrology and water quality data in river health assessments. It notes that existing data is low-cost and provides historical context. The document outlines how to incorporate existing data sites into new monitoring programs and convert hydrology and water quality data into indicator scores, such as by calculating the percentage of time flow or water quality targets are met.
This document discusses the level at which water take would compromise key environmental assets, ecosystem functions, productive base, and environmental outcomes for a water resource. It suggests monitoring water levels to ensure take does not exceed this level. Maintaining water levels protects the environment while allowing controlled water use.
Australia is developing a national river health monitoring framework to standardize assessments across states. Trials of the Framework for Assessment of River and Wetland Health (FARWH) took place from 2005-2011. FARWH uses six indices - hydrology, physical form, catchment disturbance, fringing zone, aquatic biota, and water quality - to assess condition on a scale of 0 to 1. The trials found this approach was achievable but more work is needed to define reference conditions. A two-tiered assessment approach was proposed using broadscale desktop assessments followed by targeted field assessments. Five options were presented for national reporting ranging from the current jurisdictional approach to national reporting every 5 years with both broadscale and detailed field assessments
The document summarizes water monitoring efforts at several river catchment sites that drain into the Great Barrier Reef. Key details include:
1) Water samples are taken from sites near the end of river systems like the Barron, Johnstone, and Tully Rivers to monitor runoff entering the reef.
2) Gauging stations are used to collect discharge data and many have telemetry to provide near real-time data.
3) Equipment used includes gauges, sensors, and current meters maintained by the Hydrographic Support group to collect and store time series data.
1) The document discusses environmental flows and management scenarios for sustaining river ecosystems. It describes global declines in river health due to loss of flows and impacts of flow regime changes.
2) Two management scenarios are presented: determining environmental flows for a new reservoir, and prioritizing flows for multiple assets with limited water. Assessment methods ranging from rapid to comprehensive are discussed.
3) The ecological significance of natural flow regimes is explored, with flow identified as a master variable influencing physical/chemical characteristics and species distributions in rivers and floodplains.
This document summarizes the key steps and findings of a river health assessment conducted in South East Queensland, Australia. The assessment aimed to develop a common vision for the long-term management of the region's waterways. Key steps included identifying objectives, indicators of ecosystem health, conceptual models linking drivers to impacts, river classification, testing indicators, and selecting benchmarks. The final program implemented 5 indicators and 16 indices to monitor 120 freshwater sites twice yearly and support management actions to address threats to ecosystem health.
The International WaterCentre (IWC) Master of Integrated Water Management program is designed to equip future water leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to create innovative, ‘whole-of-water-cycle’ solutions to local and global water challenges. The degree is co-badged and co-taught by IWC's four founding member universities: The University of Queensland, Griffith University, Monash University and The University of Western Australia.
The document discusses the importance of monitoring river health by selecting meaningful indicators. Key points include:
- River health depends on human values and can be assessed similarly to human health.
- Rivers face threats from pollution, loss of floodplains, and dams that block flows.
- Monitoring is important to protect environmental assets like biodiversity and drinking water.
- Effective monitoring requires clear objectives, indicators linked to threats, conceptual models, river classification, and reporting to guide management actions.
This document summarizes key issues and lessons from water resources planning and governance in highly contested river basins:
1. In heavily used river basins, it is no longer possible to allocate water to meet all demands. Water resources planning must shift to view water as integrated into the economy, not separate from it.
2. Social and cultural values must be understood and incorporated into the planning process, as people's values matter greatly in contested basins.
3. Environmental protection arguments require strong evidence when water development offers clear social and economic benefits, especially in developing countries. Good science and monitoring are needed.
4. Challenges of water, food, and energy security are intricately linked and must
This document provides an overview of the Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee (B4C) and their efforts to preserve the Bulimba Creek catchment in Brisbane, Australia. B4C is a non-profit environmental group formed in 1997 that works with local communities and organizations on issues like habitat protection, erosion, weeds, and water quality. They lead revegetation efforts, weed control programs, environmental education initiatives in schools, and work with various partners and sponsors. B4C aims to involve the local community and raise awareness of threats to the local environment like urban development, land clearing, and inappropriate land uses.
This document discusses adaptive management frameworks for river health improvement and ecosystem monitoring programs. It focuses on the need for programs to be adaptive, engage stakeholders, and assess all components of complex ecological systems.
The document discusses the development of an Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program (EHMP) for streams and rivers in southeast Queensland, Australia. It outlines the process used to design a cost-effective monitoring program, including developing conceptual models, classifying waterways, pilot testing indicators, and a major field trial to evaluate the response of indicators to disturbance gradients. Key indicators were selected for the EHMP based on their ability to detect various types of disturbance and their association with catchment characteristics.
This document discusses the development of a wireless sensor network system for environmental monitoring and management support. The key points are:
1) The system would be smart, distributed, low-cost, robust, adaptable, scalable, and eco-friendly to provide continuous data collection across ecological scales from satellite to ground sensors.
2) It represents a new platform that takes a multidisciplinary approach through phased R&D to evolve viable sensor network products that are broadly applicable beyond just the environments being monitored.
3) Initial transmission trials of the sensor network in sea environments showed promise while also demonstrating limitations of very low frequency communication that require further development of the system.
The document outlines a river health indicator monitoring program that measures indicators of river health at various sites. It lists the names and locations of sites that are monitored, including Luggage Pt STP, and shows the years that monitoring occurred at each site.
1. Water reform in Australia is led by the National Water Commission and National Water Initiative, which aim to establish a nationally compatible system for managing water resources.
2. Water management is primarily a state responsibility, but the federal government is involved in coordination, funding, and planning for transboundary systems like the Murray-Darling Basin.
3. Key elements of reform include clearer water entitlements, statutory water planning, increased water trading, consumption-based pricing, and ensuring environmental water needs are met.
The Water Group has four key objectives for stakeholder engagement: 1) enhance their understanding of stakeholder views on water issues; 2) increase stakeholder understanding of current water policies and programs and get their input in development of new policies; 3) respond to stakeholder concerns about water reform through policies and programs; and 4) improve stakeholder support for government water initiatives through greater understanding. They plan to achieve these objectives through community information sessions, stakeholder reference panels, regional contacts, consultations, and briefings.
This document summarizes a visit to the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts in Canberra on November 23, 2009. It lists the host, Christine Schweizer, and presentation details from Seung-Hoon Baek on community water input, Bruce Gray on water quality, and Ben Docker on the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder initiative. Contact information is provided for further information or questions.
This document discusses priorities for ensuring adequate water resources for the future, including enhancing hydrological modeling, establishing water metering standards, setting water research priorities, and developing a water compliance and enforcement framework. It focuses on actions needed across modeling, infrastructure, research, and regulation to manage water sustainably over the long run.
The document summarizes environmental values (EVs), water quality objectives (WQOs), and aquatic ecosystem health reporting. It defines EVs as the qualities of water that support aquatic ecosystems and human uses. WQOs are measures of water quality indicators that protect EVs. The document provides diagrams showing reference site locations and environmental flow objectives, with the goal of minimizing deviation to prevent environmental degradation. It also includes a table explaining the ratings used to present averaged assessments in reports.
The document summarizes water usage in Australia. It states that total average annual water consumption is about 4,500 GL/a, with 67% of that used for agriculture. The largest agricultural use is for irrigation. The document also lists several acts related to water management in Queensland and outlines some key water conservation and research programs.
This document discusses adaptive management frameworks for complex socio-ecological systems. It focuses on three key areas: assessing system health, engaging stakeholders, and monitoring programs.
Paul McAntee of Brisbane City Council discusses transitioning Brisbane toward becoming a more water smart city. The document outlines Brisbane's journey from a water supply city to its current state and goals of a sustainable, healthy river and bay. It discusses key performance indicators and programs to improve water management, including creek rehabilitation, stormwater drainage projects, and a local waterway health assessment program.
The document discusses environmental flow methodologies for river ecosystem management. It provides a brief history of the development of various environmental flow methodologies from 1992 to the present. It then describes the DRIFT (Downstream Response to Imposed Flow Transformations) methodology in more detail. DRIFT is presented as a scenario-based approach that evaluates the biophysical, social, and economic consequences of changes to river flow regimes. The final sections provide examples of applying DRIFT to assess flow requirements for new dams as part of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
The document summarizes steps taken to assess integrated stream health in China's Taizi River watershed. It outlines:
1) Classifying the watershed and developing a conceptual model of stressors.
2) Identifying stressors like urbanization and agriculture, as well as biological and water quality indicators.
3) Quantifying relationships between stressors and indicators through sampling at over 280 sites.
The assessment provides information to watershed managers on stream health challenges and ways to improve conditions. It signifies a shift toward comprehensive biological monitoring of China's river systems.
1. 利用大型底栖无脊椎动物进行
河流生态系统健康评价
Assessing the River Health Using Benthic
Macroinvertebrate Assemblages
王备新
南京农业大学 昆虫系 水生昆虫与溪流生态实验室
Beixin Wang
Laboratory of aquatic insects and stream ecology
Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University
wangbeixin@njau.edu.cn
14. 2. Methods
2.1 Field work
64 sampling sites
( 15 reference
sites)
Five surber nets
each site
8 environmental
variables
including water
chemistry, habitat
variables,
watershed land
use upstream of
sampling sites
15. 2.2 Data analysis
Stepwise evaluating 36 candidate
metrics.
Crop, forest and urban land use in
upstream watershed of every site were
analyzed using satellite image and a
Digital Elevation Model.
Statistical analysis was performed by
SPSS 16.0.
16. 3. Results
B-IBI was composed of seven metrics:
Total taxa,
EPT taxa,
Coleoptera%,
Three dominant taxa,
(Hydropsychidae/Trichoptera) %,
Filterers%
Biotic Index (BI).
Fig.1 Box-plot of IBI in reference
sites (R) and stressed sites (S)
Table 1. Narrative interpretations and their numeric criteria (n=64)
Excellent Good Fair Poor
>4.64 3.15-4.64 2.34~3.15 <2.34
19. Sub-basin Riparian Local
entire drainage 200m buffer on each 200m buffer on
upstream from side of sample point each side of
sample point extending length of sample point
the drainage extending 1km
network upstream
Morley and Karr (2002)
20. Pearson’s coefficient=0.471, (p<0.001, n=101)
Pearson’s coefficient=-0.352, (p<0.001, n=101)
Fig. 2 the relationship among IBI and
the percentage of forest land use,
cropland use and urban land use at
the sub-basin scale.
Pearson’s coefficient=-0.421, (p<0.001, n=101)
21. Pearson’s coefficient=0.655, (p<0.001, n=100)
Pearson’s coefficient=-0.460, (p<0.001, n=100)
Fig. 3 the relationship among IBI and
the percentage of forest land use,
cropland use and urban land use at
the local scale.
Pearson’s coefficient=-0.444, (p<0.001, n=100)
22. Pearson’s coefficient=0.633, (p<0.001, n=100)
Pearson’s coefficient=-0.470, (p<0.001, n=100)
Fig. 4 the relationship among IBI and
the percentage of forest land use,
cropland use and urban land use at
the riparian scale.
Pearson’s coefficient=-0.397, (p<0.001, n=100)
37. Summary
1. Benthic macroinvertebrates have been used in
river health assessment in China.
2. Benthic Index of biological integrity (B-IBI) was
a sensitive indicator of stream health and had
close relationship with watershed land use
change and water nutrient enrichment in
Xitiaoxi watershed.
3. Predictive model might be a good alternative in
river health assessment in future.
4. More research on benthos-based assessment
is required to further enhance its important role
in the management of aquatic ecosystem.
38. Acknowledgements
All of my colleagues and students in our laboratory contributed to this study,
including Prof. Lianfang Yang, Dr. Changhai Su, Mr. Jie Zhang, Dr. Yong Zhang.
Many thanks to all my collaborators, including Dr. Yong Cao, Dr. Wei Liu, Dr.
Desuo Cai, Dr. Lizhu Wang, Dr. John C Morse, Dr. Richard Johnson, Dr. Robert
M. Hughes, Dr. Yangdong Pan, Dr. Susan K Jackson.
The studies were supported by NSFC and grants from MWR .