The Queensland Alignment of State and National River and Wetland Health Assessment Needs trials (FARWH) had the following objectives:
assess the national FARWH for its relevance and applicability in meeting state-level requirements for monitoring and assessing aquatic ecosystems
examine correlations or redundancies with the existing regional assessment frameworks and state-level monitoring programs to determine the overall applicability of FARWH
assess whether one river and wetland health approach can be used to provide both state and national needs
present a picture of water management and its relationship to river and wetland health for each focus region
develop an implementation plan for the roll out of FARWH for the whole of Queensland, including monitoring scale and frequency
provide links to future reporting frameworks under the Australian Water Resources Information System (AWRIS).
FARWH monitors and reports on aquatic ecosystem condition under six themes:
Catchment disturbance
Physical form
Hydrological disturbance
Water quality and soils
Fringing zone
Aquatic biota
The selection of specific sub-indices within these themes is non-prescriptive and varies according to the particular surface water management area being assessed. The sub-indices can include field collected data, gauged and modelled data, as well as information collected via remote sensing and GIS analysis.
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Scale of program
The primary reporting scale of FARWH is at the surface water management area, which in most cases equates to a specific river catchment. For the majority of themes, the monitoring is designed and undertaken at a site and/or reach scale. The results are then combined to produce a broad-scale assessment that is suitable for comparative national reporting.
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Brief description of sampling locations
The project trialled FARWH over four different regions in Queensland: Central Queensland, South East Queensland, the Wet Tropics and Lake Eyre Basin. Within these regions following specific surface water management areas were assessed:
Burdekin and Pioneer surface water management areas in Central Queensland
Moreton surface water management area (including the Brisbane, Pine, Bremer, Lockyer and Stanley Rivers) in South East Queensland
Tully River surface water management area in the Wet Tropics
Cooper Creek surface water management area in the Lake Eyre Basin.
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Frequency of monitoring
The FARWH trials were conducted as part of the national FARWH program and provided a one-off assessment of aquatic ecosystem condition. The monitoring undertaken as part of these trials was undertaken in autumn 2008 in Central Queensland, in spring 2008 in South East Queensland, in winter 2009 in the Wet Tropics and in autumn 2009 in the Lake Eyre Basin. The frequency, timing and scope of the assessments were variable due to the wide range of indicator types used and the program timelines.
Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland (2013) Framework for the Assessment of River and Wetland Health (FARWH) – Queensland trials, WetlandInfo website, accessed 11 April 2025. Available at: https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/assessment/monitoring/current-and-future-monitoring/framework-assessment-river-wetland.html
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— Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation
and provided a one-off assessment of aquatic ecosystem condition. The monitoring undertaken as part of these trials was undertaken in autumn 2008 in Central Queensland, in spring 2008 in South East Queensland, in winter 2009 in the Wet Tropics and in autumn 2009 in the Lake Eyre Basin. The frequency, timing and scope of the assessments were variable due to the wide range of indicator types used and the program timelines.
