Dancing to the beat of the Murray-Darling Basin

Aquatic ecosystems dance to the beat of a climate drum. The seasons provide the backbeat with annual cycles setting a groove. It’s a syncopated rhythm with unpredictable beats of episodic flood and drought causing mayhem on the dance floor at times. And all the while, climate change is turning up the bass and messing with the metronome. Effective ecosystem management in the Basin is also a dance that requires an ear for the music and coordination to bust a move at the right time. Knowing when to hold the line, when to intervene, how much is too much, and when to sit this one out. The Australian National Aquatic Ecosystem (ANAE) mapping for the Basin provides a lens through which to view the pulsating cycles of boom and bust in the Basin. Tracking cycles of change in surface water and ecosystem condition reveal the tempo of the beat and establish a baseline from which to interpret ecosystem change as a scripted part of the dance, or aberrant behaviour that should be a focus for management. The ANAE also enables us to scale-up to look at emerging properties and behaviour of assets at landscape scales more closely related to the scales at which water in the Basin is managed.

‍