Rivers workshop to discuss pollution solutions

Rivers workshop to discuss pollution solutions

Massey University’s Innovative River Solutions group is holding a workshop this month to share academic research on fresh water quality and management of New Zealand’s rivers.

The group, based at the Manawatu campus, brings together expertise from several disciplines and information from river user and interest groups.

The workshop – on Monday, February 11 – will highlight some potential solutions, and research on solutions, to address the declining water and habitat quality in New Zealand rivers.

Researchers from New Zealand and overseas and from a variety of fields including ecology, geomorphology, land management and planning and governance, will speak on topics ranging from setting environmental flows; floods; land-water connections; through to legislation.

Dr Ian Fuller and Associate Professor Russell Death are the group’s convenors and have been engaging with environmental managers, stakeholders and community groups for the past six months. Dr Fuller says there has been considerable focus on the declining water quality in New Zealand rivers and lakes, but less focus on the solutions to the issue.

“We want to bring people together to discuss the solutions to some of the problems and issues we are facing in freshwater and river management. The workshop will connect leading international researchers with end-users and interest groups working in our rivers”

Speakers include Angela Arthington from the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University, Mike Stewardson of the University of Melbourne, David Rassam from CSIRO Land & Water, and Mark Macklin of Aberystwyth University.

A number of Massey University academic staff and others from New Zealand will also speak. For more information visit: http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/departments/institute-natural-resources/innovative-river-solutions/innovative-river-solutions.cfm

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