Of droughts and flooding rains: riparian adaptation to climate change

摘要

One of Australia's most loved poets, Dorothea Mackellar, described the continent as a land 'of droughts and flooding rains', a description that proved apt as large parts of the country lurched from the most severe drought on record in 2010 to massive floods in 2011. As climate change is anticipated to change water flows and exacerbate such extreme events, governments and academic experts in Australia are asking how we can better manage our river corridors.This is a common challenge as many parts of the world oscillate between droughts and floods. In June, 23 experts gathered in the far north of Australia to identify priorities for better management of river ecosystems with climate change.