Integrated assessment of wetland services and values as a tool to analyse policy trade-offs and management options : a case study in the Daly and Mary River catchments, northern Australia
Details:
Title
Integrated assessment of wetland services and values as a tool to analyse policy trade-offs and management options : a case study in the Daly and Mary River catchments, northern Australia,
Creator
Verschuuren, Bas,
Ypma, Olga,
Zylstra, Matthew,
Groot, Rudolf De,
Finlayson, Max,
Australia. Department of The Environment, Water, Heritage And The Arts,
Collection
E-Publications,
E-Books,
PublicationNT,
Final Report,
Date
2008-09-01,
Location
Daly River,
Mary River,
Description
This report presents the results of a study carried out between May 2004 and May 2005 as a contribution to the Tropical Rivers Inventory and Assessment Project (TRIAP) of Australia's Tropical Rivers Program. The aim was to provide a framework for the analysis of the ecosystem services provided by the wetland and riverine ecosystems of northern Australia. The analyses drew heavily on the conceptual framework provided by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) where ecosystem services were defined as 'the benefits people obtain from ecosystems'. These benefits include: provisioning services such as food and water; regulating services such as flood and disease control; cultural services such as spiritual, recreational, and cultural benefits; and supporting services such as nutrient cycling that maintain the conditions for life on earth. The term 'ecosystem services' is now broadly used to encompass what can also be referred to as ecosystem goods and services and/or ecosystem functions and, at times, also environmental services. For the purposes of this report – given that the study was undertaken using the recognised 'function analysis framework' – the terms ecosystem services and functions are considered to be interchangeable unless a distinction is made otherwise.
In accordance with the above, an assessment of the ecosystem services and values (ecological, socio-cultural and economic) of selected wetlands in northern Australia (with a focus on the Daly and Mary River catchments) was undertaken and the results incorporated into a practical framework and guidelines for integrated assessment and valuation of wetland services. Relevant policies and management strategies that address wetland functions and services in the Daly and Mary River catchments were analysed and trade-offs that contributed to the development of options for the sustainable 'multi-functional use' of the wetlands highlighted.
The assessment entailed consultation and active involvement with many stakeholders, such as governmental organisations, local associations and corporations, NGOs and community-based groups, and land-owners and managers to collect information and incorporate their views and respective interests. As this was a pilot study, the level of focus was primarily at the institutional level; more interviews would be needed to sufficiently quantify results on an individual basis, for example, for farming or Aboriginal communities. The benefits of this approach were multiple in that it enabled the collation and analysis of existing information that could be used to support existing conservation, natural resource management, and social initiatives within the study areas and identified information gaps. In this respect it was based on the outcomes and approaches suggested in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment for undertaking social and ecosystem-based analyses in complex systems.,
Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).,
Notes
Date:2008-09,
Cover title.,
Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).,
Table of contents
1. Introduction -- 2. Framework and guidelines for integrated assessment of wetland services and values -- 3. Inventory of ecosystem services provided by wetlands in the Northern Territory -- 4. Ecological importance of wetlands in the Northern Territory -- 5. Socio-cultural importance of wetlands -- 6. Economic value of goods and services -- 7. Stakeholder analysis -- 8. Policy and institutional analysis -- 9. Management implications -- 10. Discussion -- 11. Recommendations -- References.,
Language
English,
Subject
Wetland management -- Northern Territory -- Mary River,
Wetland management -- Northern Territory -- Daly River,
Wetland conservation -- Northern Territory -- Mary River,
Wetland conservation -- Northern Territory -- Daly River,
Publisher name
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts,
Northern Territory Government,
Place of publication
Darwin,
Series
Final Report,
Format
xii, 104 pages : colour illustration ; 30 cm.,
File type
application/pdf.,
ISBN
9781921069093,
1921069090,
ISSN
1325-1554,
Copyright owner
Check within Publication or with content Publisher.,