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Flood Plain Lower Ringarooma River Ramsar site Ecological Character Description March 2012 Blank page Citation


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1.14Appendix 4: The Consultants


Peter Newall, Independent Consulting Aquatic Ecologist

Peter Newall has over 20 years experience in studying, monitoring and assessing the physical, chemical and biological condition of water bodies and their catchments. His work has included: examining the ecological condition of a broad range of aquatic ecosystems; developing systems for the use of biological indicators in ecosystem assessment and management; derivation of condition targets/objectives for natural resources; and developing river management policies for the care and protection of rivers.

Peter has been involved in developing guidelines and objectives for aquatic ecosystem health, deriving biological regions for the assessment of stream condition across Victoria, developing the EPA (Victoria) protocol for the monitoring of licensed discharges to streams across Victoria, and furthering the development of biological indicators of stream condition. His work in these areas has been incorporated into the Victorian State Environment Protection Policy (Waters of Victoria) and its supporting documents.

Other studies he has undertaken include assessing catchment and land use management impacts upon receiving waterways; ecological risk assessments of streams; environmental assessment of streams and catchments; and character descriptions of wetlands.

Peter was a member of the CRC for Freshwater Ecology for five years, and has also worked in Environmental Auditing with EPA and as a consultant, particularly in natural resource auditing, focusing on waterway and catchment auditing.

Lance Lloyd, Principal Consulting Ecologist,
Lloyd Environmental Pty Ltd

Principal Consulting Ecologist, Lance Lloyd, BSc, MSc., MAIBiol., provides high level strategic advice and services to industry and Government across Australia. He has 27 years experience in environmental consulting, research and management.  His key expertise developed over this time is in relating the ecology of aquatic systems to the needs of management issues.  The majority of work during his professional life, since 1979, has been in the ecology of aquatic and Flood Plain ecosystems and water regimes in flowing and lentic waters and their management.  His M.Sc. studies, some of his major research projects and several published papers focused upon the central role of environmental water management to the ecology and biological requirements of fish, invertebrates and plants.

Lance also led a project to develop a wetlands inventory on Commonwealth Land as a contribution to the “Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia (3rd Edition)”.  In 2003, Lance led an expert team to review the Environmental Water Requirements for Internationally Significant Wetlands Framework where he undertook detailed studies on the Wyndgate Wetlands which are part of Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Ramsar Site.  He has contributed significantly to the MDBC Flood Plain Wetlands Management Strategy.  He was the lead author of the paper entitled “Natural Processes in Flood Plain Ecosystems” which synthesised the current knowledge of Flood Plain wetland ecosystems and was produced as part of the MDBC Flood Plain Wetlands Management Strategy.

Lance was a co-author of the FLOWs methodology for Victorian Streams and Rivers and is lead a project to develop, pilot and refine a draft FLOWs methodology for the estuary ecosystems of Victoria.  He was a key member of the team which developed the wetlands R&D requirements for Land & Water Australia in 1998, which included a specific review of water regime management and its research requirements.

Further, he was a board member of the Fisheries Co-management Council of Victoria (an advisory group to the Victorian Minister of Agriculture) in 2002 -2005.  On the FCC he was responsible for the Estuaries, Bays and Inlets Fisheries.  He led a process to develop a 10 year Vision for the Fisheries Industry in the region.  He also served on the Victorian Fisheries Research Advisory Board for the Fisheries R&D Corporation.  He currently chairs the Translocation Evaluation Panel for the Victorian Government which evaluates risks from fish translocations in Victoria.

In addition to the initial Flood Plain Lower Ringarooma Ramsar Site ECD, in 2007, Lance also led the Ecological Character Description Project for the South Australian Government on the Riverland Ramsar Site (River Murray Flood Plain). He is currently completing ECDs for Lavinia, Little Waterhouse Lake, Jocks Lagoon and Bool and Hacks Lagoons Ramsar Sites.


Appendix 5: Methodology to Develop the ECD


Completion of the ECD comprised ten major steps:

  1. Project inception and site visit

  2. Literature and information review

  3. Content of the ECD

  4. Preparation of first draft ECD for review by SEWPaC

  5. Preparation of revised RIS, using the ECD

  6. Revision of first draft ECD (with SEWPaC comments)

  7. Presentation of second draft ECD to stakeholders in a workshop format, seeking comments/feedback

  8. Finalisation of ECD, incorporating stakeholder comments

  9. SEWPaC external review of submitted ECD

  10. Update and finalise revised ECD

Client-consultant partnership was an important component of the process to ensure alignment of goals and common understanding of approaches. This included client-consultant meetings to ensure a high level of communication. The team also conducted interviews and informal discussions with relevant stakeholders and resource managers, to further develop our understanding of the site. The structured workshop (Step seven) assisted with crystallising our understanding of the site and developing the conceptual model for the wetland.

The steps outlined above are described in the following sections.



Step one: Project inception and site inspection

The project commenced with an inception meeting with the Client Project Manager and the Consultants’ project manager. This meeting was to:



  • Confirm project objectives, and outputs sought;

  • Discuss and finalise timeframes and key dates for delivery of project outputs; and,

  • Confirm existing information sources and obtain relevant reports, information, and data from the client.

This component was vital for ensuring alignment of objectives and discussion of approaches. The inception meeting was also used as a springboard for making contacts, obtaining details of key stakeholders and pursuing reference documents.

Site Inspection: Following the inception meeting a site inspection was undertaken to view the key areas and habitats of the Flood Plain Lower Ringarooma River Ramsar Site. The site inspection was led by the client Project Manager, who had extensive experience managing the site. A small plane was also chartered to fly over the Ramsar site, providing greater spatial perspective of the site.

Step two: Literature and information review

The literature review initially focussed on the condition of the Ramsar site at the time of Ramsar listing. Information on changes to condition since listing was subsequently reviewed and documented. Information reviewed included documents prepared prior to and during the listing process, as well as through perusal of subsequent reports and studies on the condition of the wetland.



Collate/summarise information from inception meeting and Stakeholders: At the inception meeting relevant available documents held by the client were requested, as well as contact details of stakeholders and their relevant roles in relation to the Ramsar site. Subsequent to the inception meeting contact was made with relevant stakeholders as part of document searching/gathering. The collated and summarised information enabled an assessment of information gaps and needs.

Information and data search and review: Using the approaches and structures identified at the inception meeting and the collated information, information needs were prioritised and the most likely sources (people and documents) were identified. The data search and summary was a key component of the project and was allocated a substantial amount of time. An “information log” was developed to document the reports and information resources available to the project. The “information log” was used during the course of the project to inform stakeholders which documents the project team possessed and which ones were missing for the project. The “information log” will be continually updated throughout the project. A significant component of this included interviews and discussions with key stakeholders.

Literature Summary: The information and data obtained was summarised to facilitate review of knowledge status and gaps, and was used as an important basis for the production of the ECD. The literature summary was structured to enable ready assessment against ECD requirements.

Discussions with DEH and Government Agencies: Discussion with the client and key Government stakeholders was a regular and vital part of the project, both in the collection of information and also in the compilation of the literature summary. Regular feedback maximised the opportunity to uncover all relevant information.

Step three: Content of the ECD

A scientific panel was convened and focussed on identifying:



  • key ecological components and processes in the Flood Plain Lower Ringarooma River Ramsar Site

  • the benefits and services that characterise the site

  • key actual or potential threats to the site

  • knowledge gaps

  • monitoring needs

  • an appropriate preliminary conceptual model of the system.

Two workshops were conducted; one before the draft ECD had been completed and one following the review and updating of the ECD. Both workshops consisted of the project team, NRM North, SEWPaC and stakeholders.
Step four: Preparation of a draft ECD for review by SEWPaC

A draft of the ECD was prepared from the information gathered through the literature review, Scientific Panel and through liaison with the client. The draft was provided to the client manager, for distribution to relevant staff within SEWPaC.

The draft ECD generally followed the draft national framework, which includes:


  • Executive Summary

  • Acknowledgements

  • Table of Contents

  • List of Abbreviations

  • Introduction, including site details, purpose of the ECD, legislative context

  • Detailed Description of the Site, including overview of the site; ECD context; Ramsar/DIWA criteria; geographic and ecosystem description

  • Description of Ecological Character of the Site, focusing on components, processes & benefits and services; conceptual model of site & system, quantified limits of change. Consideration will need to include biological, physical and chemical aspects of wetland condition and processes

  • Key Actual or Potential Threats or Risks to the Site, to aid identification of potential changes and their importance

  • Knowledge Gaps (and suggested approaches for addressing them)

  • Changes in Ecological Character (if appropriate), including whether changes have occurred since listing

  • Key Site Monitoring Needs, identified from conceptual model, and covering knowledge gaps, assessing trends/changes and monitoring management outcomes

  • Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) Messages, summarising key ecological messages that will facilitate management planning and action

  • Glossary

  • References; and,

  • Appendices.

The ‘Executive Summary’ to ‘List of Abbreviations’ and ‘Glossary’ to ‘Appendices’ were not completed at this draft stage.

Describing the Components, Processes and Benefits and services: The development of ecological character required a description of the ecosystem components, processes and benefits and services that characterise the Ramsar site. An important requirement within this task was the need to document the ecological character of the site at the time of its designation for the Ramsar list as well as current ecological character. This included assessments of trends in the condition of relevant components, processes and services and past and current changes in its character.

Development of Conceptual Models: Conceptual models were developed to represent the ecological processes and components of the Ramsar Site in a simplified way, to will assist in describing the ecological character of the site.

Conceptual models draw on existing scientific information to describe the critical processes that contribute to (or limit) wetland or ecosystem health. A model can describe a 'healthy' ecosystem that meets the management objective and can include known impacts and show how they reduce health or biodiversity.

Conceptual models are defined as “a generalised description or representation of the structure and function of a complex system”. In order to develop a conceptual model, the following steps were undertaken:


  • define the purpose of the conceptual model

  • specify the system boundaries

  • identify individual model components

  • describe relationships between components

  • “build” the conceptual model

Prepare draft ECD: The ecological character was described in accordance with the SEWPaC National Framework. This required a description of the ecosystem components, processes and benefits and services that characterise the wetland as well as the conceptual model of the ecological functioning of the wetland system (described above).

Beyond the description of the wetland site, knowledge gaps were identified and recommendations made accordingly, including the development of monitoring recommendations. As well as filling of knowledge gaps, monitoring recommendations considered information required for assessment of trends, assessments of threats or risks, and feedback on management actions.



Step five: Preparation of revised RIS, using the ECD

The preparation of the revised RIS used the existing RIS as a basis and incorporated changes to the site boundaries as well as any relevant changes to the ecology of the site since the preparation of the previous RIS. Much of the work undertaken as part of the Literature Review and also stakeholder discussion and team-member knowledge of the site fed into this task.



Step six: Revision of first Draft ECD (SEWPaC comments)

The project team collated the comments provided by SEWPaC and incorporated those comments into a revision of the draft ECD, producing a second draft ECD for key stakeholder review. The second draft ECD was circulated to the key stakeholders prior to the presentation and workshop (Task 7).



Step seven: Presentation of second draft ECD to stakeholders in a workshop format, seeking comments/feedback

The purpose of the presentation was to field feedback from the client, Steering Committee and other key stakeholders in a face-to-face situation. The goal was to encapsulate the key comments in a workshop environment after the presentation and seek agreement/consensus on those comments. Feedback received from the presentation/workshop was documented and circulated to ensure completeness and alignment of understandings prior to preparation of the final draft of the ECD.



Step eight: Finalisation and submission of ECD

The ECD was finalised, incorporating the stakeholder and SEWPaC comments following the second workshop and subsequent feedback.


Step nine: SEWPaC external review of submitted ECD

Prior to finalisation, SEWPaC had the ECD externally reviewed against the revised SEWPaC guidelines. SEWPaC requested that the authors update the ECD according to the revised guidelines and comments.



Step ten: Update and finalise revised ECD

Following the external ECD review, an additional workshop was held to identify the major elements of the document which required updating. The project team addressed the comments provided and incorporated them into a revision of the ECD, thus finalising the ECD. This version was subject to a further final review before being revised as the final version.



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