An inventory of Australian estuaries and enclosed marine waters: an overview of results

The database shows that most estuaries in northern and western Australia have been relatively unaffected by human activity. In contrast, estuaries in eastern and southern Australia generally have lower water quality and greater catchment clearance and a high percentage face real threats to their conservation values. The estuaries in NSW and Victoria have the most extensive literature available. The results suggest that, given clearly defined management priorities, many representative and important features can still be adequately conserved in a national system of estuarine reserves. Subject areas where more research is needed include individual catchment characteristics, water quality, fisheries and conservation values and more detailed mapping, especially for seagrass beds and intertidal mud banks.