A Global Synthesis of Managing Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems Under Sustainable Groundwater Policy

Abstract

Groundwater is a vital water supply worldwide for people and nature. However, species and ecosystems that depend on groundwater for some or all of their water needs, known as groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs), are increasingly becoming threatened worldwide due to growing human water demands. Over the past two decades, the protection and management of GDEs have been incorporated into several water management policy initiatives worldwide including jurisdictions within Australia, the European Union, South Africa, and the United States. Among these, Australia has implemented the most comprehensive framework to manage and protect GDEs through its water policy initiatives. Using a science-based approach, Australia has made good progress at reducing uncertainty when selecting management thresholds for GDEs in their water management plans. This has been achieved by incorporating appropriate metrics for GDEs into water monitoring programs so that information gathered over time can inform management decisions. This adaptive management approach is also accompanied by the application of the "Precautionary Principle" in cases where insufficient information on GDEs exist. Additionally, the integration of risk assessment into Australia's approach has enabled water managers to prioritize the most valuable and vulnerable ecologic assets necessary to manage GDEs under Australia's national sustainable water management legislation. The purpose of this paper is to: (1) compare existing global policy initiatives for the protection and management of GDEs; (2) synthesize Australia's adaptive management approach of GDEs in their state water plans; and (3) highlight opportunities and challenges of applying Australia's approach for managing GDEs under other water management policies worldwide.

Seasonal and Inter-Annual Variability of Groundwater and Their Responses to Climate Change and Human Activities in Arid and Desert Areas: A Case Study in Yaoba Oasis, Northwest China

“…In that year, the local government established the dynamic monitoring network because of the decline in groundwater (Figure 1c). Afterwards, the irrigated area was maintained at approximately 29.33 km 2 , and the exploitation ranged from 23 million m 3 The variation characteristics of groundwater level in the six monitoring wells are summarized in Table 2. The other five wells showed the same variation law as the ZB-02 well.…”

“…Groundwater resources play a crucial role in social, economic, and agricultural development, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where surface water is scarce [1][2][3]. It is not just the vital water…”

Rapid and Accurate Estimates of Streamflow Depletion Caused by Groundwater Pumping Using Analytical Depletion Functions

“…Groundwater pumping reduces streamflow ("streamflow depletion") by capturing groundwater which would have otherwise discharged into streams or inducing infiltration from the stream into the aquifer Bredehoeft et al, 1982). This can have negative consequences on surface water users and aquatic ecosystems, both of which depend on a stable contribution of groundwater to streamflow (Gleeson & Richter, 2017;Larsen & Woelfle-Erskine, 2018;Perkin et al, 2017;Rohde et al, 2017Rohde et al, , 2018. However, quantifying streamflow depletion is challenging due to the complexity of modeling groundwater-surface water interactions (Barlow & Leake, 2012).…”

Long‐term effects of aquifer overdraft and recovery on groundwater quality in a Ramsar wetland: Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park, Spain

“…Aquatic environments that rely on the flow or chemical characteristics of groundwater are collectively known as groundwater‐dependent ecosystems (Aldous & Bach, ; Aldous & Bach, ; Rohde, Froend, & Howard, ). This definition recognizes the pivotal role of groundwater in underpinning ecological communities associated with streams, rivers, springs, and wetlands, as well as with underground caves or phreatophyte ecosystems.…”