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1.1. Background

Around the world, wetlands are considered essential components of floodplain-river ecosystems, playing an important role in river functionality by filtering and recycling nutrients, storing sediments and water, acting as hotspots of primary production and providing critical and unique aquatic habitats to a large diversity of biota (Junk et al. 1989; Junk & Wantzen 2004). Floodplain wetlands provide a home to a diverse array of organisms including aquatic and terrestrial vegetation, micro and macroinvertebrates, fish, birds, amphibians and reptiles (Boulton & Brock 1999; Rogers & Ralph 2010). It is this diversity which is recognised and valued by the global community under international conservation conventions (eg RAMSAR), and nationally under land protection systems (eg National Parks and State Reserves) and the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC).

The Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) supports more than 30,000 wetlands; including many of international significance (MDBA 2010). Many of these have suffered significant degradation as a consequence of altered hydrology associated with river regulation, the destruction of habitat associated with land clearing, and the introduction of invasive species (Kingsford 2000; Kingsford & Thomas 2004; Rogers & Ralph 2010). Recently, wetlands in the southern portion of the MDB have also been subjected to further stress by the drought in south-eastern Australia (Murphy & Timbal 2008). The ‘millennium drought’started affecting the southern MDB in 2001 and resulted in significant rainfall reductions and river flows (http://www. bom. gov. au/climate/current …