| Title |
Water Quality Management in Australia |
| Abstract |
Water quality management in Australia is undergoing a major change in focus towards increased ecologically-based management. A new National Water Quality Management Strategy, being developed by the Federal and State governments through the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council(ANZECC) and the Australian Water Resources Council(AWRC), seeks to ensure that the nation`s water resources are managed on an ecologically sustainable basis. The associated Australian Water Quality Guidelines for Fresh and Marine. Waters reflect this ecological focus and include for the first time biological indicators of water quality. This paper discusses the main features of both the strategy and the guidelines, with a particular focus on the challenges facing the three major groups involved - the community, managers, and researchers if this strategy is to be successfully implemented in Australia Also discussed is the role of the new Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology in providing aquatic ecological information essential to the process. |