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SIGNAL scoring system for river bio-assessment by community groups

SIGNAL stands for ‘Stream Invertebrate Grade Number – Average Level.’ It is a simple scoring system for macro-invertebrate (‘water bug’) samples from Australian rivers. A SIGNAL score gives an indication of water quality in the river from which the sample was collected. Rivers with high SIGNAL scores are likely to have low levels of salinity, turbidity and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. They (more)...

Scoping study: Aboriginal management and planning for country

The Ord-Bonaparte Program (OPB) of Land & Water Australia ran from 2002 to 2005. OBP Project 1 was about Planning for Country with Subprogram 5 about Aboriginal Planning and Management for Country. The initial activity of Subprogram 5 was a Scoping Study to identify areas for the development of research projects for implementation.

An Agreement Approach that Recognises Customary Law in Water Management

The Anmatyerr water project worked from 2004-2008 as a collaborative team of Anmatyerr researchers, supervisors and participants and social and environmental scientists from universities and government. A number of projects were undertaken within this research initiative focussing on cultural water provisions in water allocation plans, equitable governance of water resources, culturally based livelihoods, training pathways, Indigenous water rights, and gender and water (more)...

Provision for Cultural Values in Water Management:

the Anmatyerr Story

Water is central to Indigenous law and culture. A range of local to international policies, legislation and guidelines now entitle the interests of Aboriginal people in Australia. There is a need to better understand the importance Aboriginal people place on water, but most importantly to make provisions for these values in water policy, water plans and water management. Cultural water values face potential risks when water is diverted or used for various purposes.

About the Audit

The National Land & Water Resources Audit (the Audit) collates data and information on the status of Australia’s natural resources and contextual social and economic information. The information is used to assist in identifying Australia’s natural resource management priorities and will be used to support the evaluation of current and future natural resource management (NRM) investments. The Audit is working with all (more)...

Changing face of farming is analysed

Much of rural Australia today is grappling with the challenge of reinvention in the face of declining farm numbers, the exodus of rural youth and “tree change” migration from the city. One of Australia’s leading demographers in rural population change has written a book which explains the transformation of rural Australia.

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ANU 34 - Final Report - May 2006

ANU 34 will generate high quality and widely applicable data to guide landscape restoration that maximizes biodiversity conservation. To achieve this, the principal aim will be to estimate the effects of tree planting on vertebrates (birds, mammals, repti

Dr Richard Stirzaker

The Scientist’s Garden: reflections on food and water

The time has come for a scientific exposé of the backyard fruit and vegetable garden and, from there, to draw the links to the big NRM issues of our time.

Dr Neil Barr

Dr Neil Barr is the leader of the Rural, Social Research Team with the Department of Primary Industries, Victoria. Why do some country football teams find it hard to survive? Why are Beaut Blokes weekends so popular? Why are some small country towns dying and others thriving? Will the corporate farm supersede the family farm? What is the ‘grass change’? Where does the city end and the country begin? What are the environmental (more)...