Waterway management projects often comprise specific site-scale management interventions such as structural works, revegetation, and fencing for stock exclusion. These waterway management projects are generally implemented to achieve a singular objective (i.e. protect an asset or reduce sediment loss); this tends to focus investment to small-scale localised areas (i.e. an eroding bank). In contrast, well planned and implemented reach-scale waterway management programs can provide a range of benefits including biodiversity outcomes, water quality treatment, flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, and recreational and amenity outcomes. However, often these benefits are difficult to value which makes it hard to target investment or support business cases. One challenge is that the scale of these benefits varies from catchment to catchment, and from reach to reach. The benefits fall into diverse categories, plus several benefits are not monetised or traded in prevailing markets, which complicates assessments to provide evidence in seeking private or public funding. As a result, it is difficult to set priorities when making decisions about where to work and what to do.
This project is the second part of a two-phase research project. Phase 1 reviewed approaches to identifying and assessing waterway services, identified potential services (benefits) associated with waterway management measures, and assessed different economic evaluation approaches. This second phase is a case study application that assesses the value of ecosystem services provided by a reach-scale riparian revegetation program in the Mackay-Whitsundays region and presents a high-level business case for investment. The process involved identifying how riparian management measures positively impact services, determining the economic value of the ecosystem services, then conducting a cost-benefit analysis.
The categories that yielded the greatest benefits from reach-scale riparian restoration were erosion control and tourism. The project findings indicated multiple funding streams from various beneficiaries will be required to achieve desired region-wide outcomes.
Through highlighting economic benefits of reach-scale riparian rehabilitation, this work is a step towards encouraging investment from relevant beneficiaries to ultimately achieve widespread application of reach-scale riparian rehabilitation programs proven to deliver numerous benefits.