Development of Decision Support Tools to Assess the Sustainability of Coastal Lakes

Coastal lakes in New South Wales provide important ecological, social and economic benefit for much of the state’s population. However they are naturally sensitive to catchment inputs, particularly when the lakes are periodically closed to the ocean. Demand on the lakes and their catchment’s finite resources through: encroaching urban development; poor agricultural management; the need to protect native flora and fauna; a growing market for seafood; and increasing tourism; is increasing conflict over their use and sustainable management. These issues are intricately linked, so the management of coastal lake systems requires knowledge of the processes and interactions between all key components of the system. This is a complex problem requiring the integration of, often minimal, information, from various disciplines. Few tools exist to assist catchment and lake managers to analyse the whole lake system and make more informed management decisions.