Costs and benefits of pulsed flows

A new report from the Australian National Water Commission, Pulsed flows: a review of environmental costs and benefits and best practice, considers whether natural and controlled pulsed flows achieve ecological benefits, and if so, how they might be implemented in river management. The report includes:

• a review of the literature on the environmental costs and benefits of pulsed flows


• 
  examples of current practice in pulsed flow methodology


• 
  an examination of existing plans that incorporate pulsed flows to determine whether there are appropriate monitoring and evaluation frameworks within those plans to provide for learning from adaptive management


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  a discussion of prospective best practices for pulsing flows and areas where future work, such as experimental and observational studies, would be beneficial.

The report is available online. At HOORC, preparations for the February 2010 Flood Pulsed Wetlands International Symposium are proceeding. Deadline for submission of abstracts is September 30th, 2009.