In 2020, the Annual Research Update is being delivered as an online event. A series of short (< 15min) presentations have been recorded to provide an update on the progress and direction of research projects, as well as a synopsis of the delivered (and expected) management impacts.

Use the list of projects below to jump to the presentation(s) of interest, or scroll down to see all available

The presentations provide only a brief account to the project – further information on the research projects can be obtained by contacting the researchers directly (contact details are provided in each video), on the waterways partnership website (mwrpp.org) or for Melbourne Water staff, through the Research Hub. These presentations can also be watched direct on the Waterway Research YouTube Channel, which includes other videos produced by the partnership.

A1 Prioritisation: Spatial prioritization of management action for biodiversity outcomes in streams and wetlands

This project builds on existing spatial planning tools used for the new Healthy Waterways Strategy that allow different planning options and their associated costs and outcomes to be evaluated and prioritized. It will develop Habitat Suitability Models for wetlands to provide a similar level of rigour to wetland planning decisions, as well as strengthening the existing stream models with the incorporation of new spatial datasets and environmental predictors.

A2 MERI: Testing critical assumptions of interventions and outcomes, and designing effective, efficient biodiversity monitoring to support strategy implementation

This project will support the overarching Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) plan for the Healthy Waterways Strategy. It will help identify critical assumptions between management interventions, environmental conditions and key values. The focus will be on interventions where there is high investment by MW but low confidence in the outcomes. This project will also investigate approaches and methods for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of biodiversity monitoring in waterways.

A1 Prioritisation: Spatial prioritization of management action for biodiversity outcomes in streams and wetlands

This project builds on existing spatial planning tools used for the new Healthy Waterways Strategy that allow different planning options and their associated costs and outcomes to be evaluated and prioritized. It will develop Habitat Suitability Models for wetlands to provide a similar level of rigour to wetland planning decisions, as well as strengthening the existing stream models with the incorporation of new spatial datasets and environmental predictors.

A2 MERI: Testing critical assumptions of interventions and outcomes, and designing effective, efficient biodiversity monitoring to support strategy implementation

This project will support the overarching Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) plan for the Healthy Waterways Strategy. It will help identify critical assumptions between management interventions, environmental conditions and key values. The focus will be on interventions where there is high investment by MW but low confidence in the outcomes. This project will also investigate approaches and methods for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of biodiversity monitoring in waterways.