Freshwater systems are used for irrigation, drinking water, flood mitigation, power generation, among other uses, as well as continue to support highly diverse biological communities. Climate change, increasing human population sizes and shifts in global produce markets all tend to increase the pressures on freshwater systems, making it increasingly difficult to balance human use with good ecological outcomes. This talk will identify how integrating science across disciplines can assist to achieve better ecological outcomes, while maintaining or improving the value of human uses, under current climates and also under plausible future climates.