Freshwater ecosystems

Pike in freshwater lake

Global climate change adaptation: freshwater ecosystems

Climate change adaptation is the contemporary political response to the present climate change debate. Some countries, including Australia, are developing climate adaptation protocols and risk management strategies specifically for the water sector. However, the management of freshwater resources for both human supply and biodiversity outcomes remains a challenge in a warming and drying environment. Thiswill require global responses on issues including reliability of supply for agriculture, domestic and industrial users, appropriate waterways restoration, reserve design, environmental flows and the protection of biodiversity.

As many countries including Australia and other WUN partners are developing climate change adaptation responses, there are consequently lessons to be learnt from other countries’ responses. There is also an urgent need to understand the risks to freshwater biodiversity due to climate change as well as potential technical and policy interventions required to meet future human water needs without further degrading freshwater ecosystems.

The Australian National Climate Change Adaptation Facility (NCCARF) is part of a Department of Climate Change $10m program on climate change adaptation. This Facility brings together Australia’s top water scientists with common interests and skills in water resources and freshwater biodiversity. The network is strongly supported by over 20 partner research institutions from across Australia, and will have a regional node in each State and Territory (Professor Peter Davies is the UWA author and contact for NCCARF). Regional nodes will host meetings that bring together researchers from partner institutions and facilitate discussion and interaction  with agency and industry stakeholders.

This project is also closely linked with the ACCWA project.

Aims and objectives

The aims of this project are to strengthen global WUN linkages, broaden the research skill-base and liaise widely with institutions working on climate change adaptation of freshwater ecosystems.