Riparian restoration is often employed as an intervention to target both degradation to streams, and to promote ecological values. Despite the popularity of riparian restoration, there is much variation in what defines a restoration success, and the extent of quantifiable knowledge regarding the dimensions of riparian restoration works and the catchment contexts that may influence restoration outcomes. For example, where restoration projects are undertaken within degraded landscapes, there can be a mismatch between the scale of the intervention and the catchment scale drivers of the degradation. In Victoria, there is a significant body of data spanning decades of water quality and macroinvertebrate samples, alongside datasets of land-use and land-cover since the 1980s. There has also been significant effort by Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) and the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action (DEECA) to record the locations of previous restoration activities.
This PhD research has involved the collation and standardisation of riparian vegetation extents, sourced from CMAs and Melbourne Water, combined with water quality and macroinvertebrate assemblage data sourced from the Victorian Environment Protection Authority, DEECA, and Melbourne Water. These data will be used to examine the relationships between riparian restoration efforts, water quality and ecological indicators. Specifically, to develop an understanding of how the lengths of riparian vegetation, land-cover, and land-use correlate with water quality and stream ecology. This presentation outlines the development of this research, its approach, and the potential application of its findings.