Catchment to reef: water quality and ecosystem health in tropical streams

摘要: Around the world agricultural and industrial landscapes have massively affected terrestrial aquatic habitats as well water quality of run-off from entire landscapes, resulting in dramatically altered ecosystem integrity freshwaters, coastal wetlands, estuaries marine systems. Although these systems are reasonably understood temperate areas, tropics there is much less information on such environmental impacts fewer examples remediation. In Australia, export nutrients, sediments contaminants into near waters Great Barrier Reef (GBR)lagoon, world's largest reef system, has increased substantially since European settlement, severely impacting viability condition ecosystems industries that depend them (Baker 2003). Approximately 200 near-shore reefs under immediate direct pressure declining Queensland Wet Tropics Whitsunday areas. Degradation (e.g. removal riparian vegetation invasion by weeds) excess chemicals also causing substantial rivers wetlands feed GBR lagoon threaten biodiversity ecology their important role greater environment. Protection restoration critical challenges to managers policy~makers Australia elsewhere tropics.