About
Natural functioning freshwater ecosystems have important intrinsic values and also provide many goods, services and long-term benefits to human society. However, there is growing concern about the globally pervasive impacts of human modifications to riverine landscapes to the point where streams, rivers and floodplain wetlands are now considered the most threatened ecosystems on the planet [Dudgeon et al. 2006, Biological Reviews Vol. 81(2)].
Global population growth and associated water demand are causing unprecedented changes in flow regimes and are a serious and continuing threat to ecological sustainability of river-floodplain ecosystems. Climate change is an added stress, with critical implications for the long-term integrity of aquatic biodiversity and productivity.
There are a number of grand challenges facing science in meeting the knowledge needs to underpin ecologically sustainable management of river-floodplain ecosystems. The scientific program is organised around three themes, each constituting a symposium session featuring six or seven topical review presentations. Science themes include global changes associated with urbanisation and land use, water use and flow regime changes, and climate changes. Cross-cutting workshops focus on key science needs relating to protection of aquatic biodiversity, connectivity and river-floodplain-coastal subsidies, flow-ecology relationships, and indicators and assessment.
The meeting includes thought-provoking plenary lectures by invited speakers to identify key issues and to set the scene for structured workshops focussed around key science themes. The results of the workshops will be summarized in a plenary discussion and in synthesis publications on future science needs. Poster sessions will provide opportunities for attendees to present research relating to the science themes and workshop topics.