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<p>The ‘human legacy’ concept acknowledges anthropogenic effects on ecosystem health at various spatial and temporal scales. When rehabilitation interventions are implemented to mediate such effects, gathering multiple lines of evidence is essential to better understand the consequences and implications for ecosystem health. This study assessed a suite of indicators in a coastal creek and lagoon system to examine how ecosystem health responds to long-term human and natural pressures and how this understanding can improve the outcomes of rehabilitation efforts such as riparian revegetation and stock exclusion. This study found that the legacy of land clearing over many years (i.e., for logging, farming, housing and road developments) has led to symptoms of ecosystem degradation, including poor water quality, interruption to hydrology and geomorphology processes, and low biodiversity of invertebrates, fish, frogs and vegetation. These symptoms are similar to previously reported ‘urban stream syndrome’ for urbanised aquatic systems. The removal of the woody vegetation from the catchment, followed by a wide range of development activities and livestock grazing, can be attributed to the symptoms of ecosystem degradation observed during the study. We acknowledge the difficulty in assessing freshwater ecosystem health without prior comparable, reference and test data sets. Nevertheless, the multiple lines of evidence approach proposed here will assist environmental practitioners in understanding the baseline condition of the system and help track the progress of the recovery following rehabilitation interventions. It is a common outcome globally that the social and economic benefits of altered catchment land use often come at the cost of poor ecosystem health in and around the receiving waters. In this study, the presence of native flora and fauna after the long history of land use practices suggests that successful restoration efforts can support the ecosystem’s natural resilience to fast-track species’ recolonisation. This recolonisation of persistent native species is especially evident once stressors are mitigated and riparian vegetation is re-established. Experience has shown that a multisectoral, multidisciplinary, evidence-based approach involving local communities and decision-makers in a place-based setting has the greatest chance for success.</p>

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Building community trust and stewardship through a multi-indicator approach to monitoring aquatic ecosystem restoration

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年1月27日

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  • Uthpala Pinto,
  • Megan Powell,
  • Joanne Ling,
  • Daniel Svozil,
  • Zacchary Larkin,
  • Jaimie Potts,
  • Li Wen,
  • Peter Scanes

摘要

The ‘human legacy’ concept acknowledges anthropogenic effects on ecosystem health at various spatial and temporal scales. When rehabilitation interventions are implemented to mediate such effects, gathering multiple lines of evidence is essential to better understand the consequences and implications for ecosystem health. This study assessed a suite of indicators in a coastal creek and lagoon system to examine how ecosystem health responds to long-term human and natural pressures and how this understanding can improve the outcomes of rehabilitation efforts such as riparian revegetation and stock exclusion. This study found that the legacy of land clearing over many years (i.e., for logging, farming, housing and road developments) has led to symptoms of ecosystem degradation, including poor water quality, interruption to hydrology and geomorphology processes, and low biodiversity of invertebrates, fish, frogs and vegetation. These symptoms are similar to previously reported ‘urban stream syndrome’ for urbanised aquatic systems. The removal of the woody vegetation from the catchment, followed by a wide range of development activities and livestock grazing, can be attributed to the symptoms of ecosystem degradation observed during the study. We acknowledge the difficulty in assessing freshwater ecosystem health without prior comparable, reference and test data sets. Nevertheless, the multiple lines of evidence approach proposed here will assist environmental practitioners in understanding the baseline condition of the system and help track the progress of the recovery following rehabilitation interventions. It is a common outcome globally that the social and economic benefits of altered catchment land use often come at the cost of poor ecosystem health in and around the receiving waters. In this study, the presence of native flora and fauna after the long history of land use practices suggests that successful restoration efforts can support the ecosystem’s natural resilience to fast-track species’ recolonisation. This recolonisation of persistent native species is especially evident once stressors are mitigated and riparian vegetation is re-established. Experience has shown that a multisectoral, multidisciplinary, evidence-based approach involving local communities and decision-makers in a place-based setting has the greatest chance for success.