Improving our understanding of the ecosystem effects of varying water levels in weir pools of lowland floodplain rivers: What role can weir pool manipulations play in restoring the health of the River Murray channel?
MMCP Collaboration (MMCP) is a project supported by the Joint State Governments and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to generate and adopt freshwater ecological knowledge through collaboration, to maintain research capability and contribute supporting science to underpin the Basin-Wide Watering Strategy.
The objectives of this theme within the MMCP is to help the Murray-Darling Basin Officials Committee (BOC) address specific questions as they arise. These question will have relevance to the on-going management of Basin Assets.
This synthesis paper is a response to a question poised by BOC, and examines the range of ecological management objectives for river reaches potentially affected by weir pool manipulation; then collates information about which relevant hypotheses have been tested and summaries the existing knowledge and knowledge-gaps around the effects of weir pool manipulation with respect to the ecological objectives.