Inland rivers and riparian zones
Australia's inland rivers have characteristics that make them unique and require innovative management approaches. The characteristics of highly variable flows, the landscape scale at which they function and the cyclic biodiversity coinciding with flood and drought are discussed. These are linked to the principles required to manage inland rivers: formal agreements among jurisdictions managing river systems| water resource developments moving into previously unregulated systems| pastoralism and rangeland grazing as dominant land use| communities outside rural areas influencing policy making; and the strong affinity to rivers of Aboriginal culture. Gaps in research are identified as: whole system management; social and institutional factors| hydrologic variability| flood pulse| managing river flows| dependent wetlands| and floodplain management.
