The following projects were delivered by two research partnerships:

Aquatic Pollution Prevention Partnership (A3P)

Aquatic Pollution Prevention Partnership

Continuous improvement in chemical use on or near waterways and suitable management alternatives (2018-28)

This project investigates chemicals used by Melbourne Water on or near waterways, and through field and laboratory experiments is able to drive continuous improvement in vegetation management by exploring more environmental-friendly and effective chemicals or methods. For more details, visit the partnership project webpage or see the factsheet.

Waterways Practice Partnership (MWRPP)

Melbourne Waterways Research Practice Partnership

Assessment of the impacts of deer on water quality and native vegetation and effectiveness of deer management (2013-28)

This project is assessing the effectiveness of deer management efforts to reduce water quality risks and impacts on native vegetation. It also assesses the accuracy of monitoring techniques (e.g. deer pellet counts) used to estimate the deer abundance and vegetation impacts. This will increase Melbourne Water’s capacity to develop and implement effective deer management programs.

Monitoring riparian vegetation condition, extent and benefits for environmental values (2023-28)

This project will assess the changes in the condition and range of remnant vegetation and revegetation, to better understand the factors that influence the success of vegetation management activities. As well as informing improved vegetation management practices, it will also improve monitoring and assessment of remnant and riparian revegetation to help Melbourne Water track progress towards Healthy Waterways Strategy vegetation targets.

Understanding the drivers of instream vegetation distribution and management opportunities (2024-28)

This project builds on limited knowledge about instream vegetation across the region, developing tools that enable Melbourne Water to incorporate instream vegetation as a key value in the next Healthy Waterway Strategy. It will improve understanding of the relationships between the presence of instream vegetation and associated instream habitat and catchment characteristics. This will inform Performance Objectives and management targets for instream vegetation as a value in the next Healthy Waterways Strategy.

Investigating the relationship between physical form and ecological health of waterways (2018-2028)

This project aims to understand how the physical form of waterway channels influences ecosystem health, what aspects of that form are most important and how this can be measured to inform the next Healthy Waterways Strategy. Ultimately, this project will help assess current physical form condition, set physical form management targets and identify physical form management priorities in the next Healthy Waterways Strategy.

Approaches to increasing the resilience of vegetation in a changing climate (2023-28)

This project aims to clarify and consolidate lessons from recent research on climate impacts on remnant vegetation, revegetation and invasive weeds and their management. It will also explore how this knowledge relates to planning and delivering revegetation programs, and articulate the limitations and opportunities for implementing climate-resilient practices in the short-term. This will improve understanding of the impact of provenance on long-term revegetation success, leading to more appropriate selection of climate-adjusted seed/plant genetics.