Use of generalised dissimilarity modelling to improve the biological discrimination of river and stream classifications

JR Leathwick; T Snelder; WL Chadderton; J Elith; K Julian; S Ferrier

Journal article

Use of generalised dissimilarity modelling to improve the biological discrimination of river and stream classifications

JR Leathwick, T Snelder, WL Chadderton, J Elith, K Julian, S Ferrier

Freshwater Biology | Published : 2011

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2010.02414.x

Abstract

1. Classifications that group rivers and streams with similar ecological characteristics are used increasingly to underpin conservation and resource management planning. Uses include identifying systems that may respond similarly to human activities or management actions, setting guidelines and standards to manage human impacts, interpreting data from inventory (survey) and monitoring, and identifying priority sites for conservation management.2. Traditional approaches to river classification have been based mostly on delineating landscape units (ecoregions), often by grouping adjacent catchments having similar ecological character. However, use of this approach can be complicated by marked ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Jane Elith Author

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Grants

Awarded by New Zealand's Foundation for Research, Science and Technology

Awarded by ARC

Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

Operational funding for large parts of this analysis was provided New Zealand's Department of Conservation. Additional support for John Leathwick was funded by New Zealand's Foundation for Research, Science and Technology under contract C01X0305, and for Jane Elith by ARC grants LP0667891 and DP0772671, and by the Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis. Ton Snelder was supported by a Marie Curie Incoming International Fellowship within the 6<SUP>th</SUP> European Community Framework Programme. A range of people provided technical advice, data and/or assisted with interpretation over the several years during which these ideas were developed, including Kevin Collier, Bruno David, Russell Death, Kirsty Johnston, Ian Jowett, Mike Joy, Bob McDowall, John Quinn, Mike Scarsbrook, John Stark and Theo Stephens. Mark Weatherhead, Ude Shankar and Helen Hurren played a significant role in the construction of the environmental database.