As the global population becomes increasingly urbanised and human demand for water escalates, pressure is mounting on our freshwater resources and the ecosystems that they sustain.

The sustainable management of water resources and the protection of riverine and coastal ecosystems demands an integrated and coordinated approach that draws upon a range of scientific disciplines, including the social sciences.

The Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University is actively leading research in sustainable water resource management with Australia's largest group of university-based scientists specialising in river, catchment and coastal research and education.

The Institute focuses on six strategic themes:

• Catchment and river processes
• Water allocation and environmental flows
• Coastal and estuarine processes
• Aquatic biodiversity and conservation
• Restoration science
• Monitoring and assessment

Through its leaders and researchers, the Institute is proactive in national and international water science planning and research bodies. Griffith University is a founding member of the International Water Centre and is represented on international water management committees, such as the Global Water System Project, and Diversitas.

The Institute is committed to promoting a "whole-of-water-cycle" philosophy linking water catchment and river-coastal management to streamline access to a co-ordinated skills base, enhancing capacity building initiatives in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region.