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System Title

5.5 Freshwater Ecosystem Classification - Kevin Collier
Keywords Freshwater ecosystems; classification; riverine; lacustrine; palastrine  
Description This classification system has four levels:
  • Level 1 identifies hydro ecological classes (riverine, lacustrine, palastrine and underground).
  • Level 2 focuses on the geomorphological position or origin thereby giving the system "a place in the landscape". The underground classification ends at this point. Rivers are divided into segments that are tagged to the origin of flow. The lakes and wetland classifications focus on the mode of formation tagged to altitudinal position.
  • Level 3 of classification focuses on the permanence of water and the effects of chemical (geothermal and saline) influences which can have major impacts on the types of species occurring in different habitats. Further breakdowns of geothermally influenced systems and regular or episodic ephemeral systems are not made but could be incorporated into the classification.
  • Level 4 of the classification identifies water type and the dominant emergent vegetation for permanent non-geothermally influenced palustrine wetlands. As obvious botanical features are not necessarily evident in permanent non-geothermally influenced lakes and rivers, the system focuses on physical or process orientated factors that were considered important in affecting biodiversity.
It was envisaged that level 2 would be the main level as levels 3 and 4 would require much greater levels of information.
Original Purpose This was part of a Department of Conservation project to develop a standardized ecosystem classification for biodiversity conservation. This required the development of a hierarchical classification system to a level of detail that aided biodiversity conservation priority setting.
Status Developed in 1994; still with draft status.
Organisation Department of Conservation
Jurisdiction New Zealand
Contact person/position Kevin Collier
Scientist
Address NIWA
Box 11 115
Hamilton
Phone +64 7 856 7026
Fax +64 7 856 0151
Email k.collier@niwa.cri.nz
Available format Draft report
Access Available on request
Geographical coverage New Zealand

 

Operational Specifications

  
Scale of Operation Intend to apply at 1:50,000 scale especially for origin of flow
GIS Compatibility Intended
Relationship between levels in the classification system There is a hierarchical relationship between the levels.
Contributing databases/ classification systems Geomorphic origin is derived from Lowe and Green's Lakes classification.
Contributing database GIS compatibility N/A
Relationship with other classification systems and spatial frameworks. The system was developed to be part of a DOC habitat classification system that also included terrestrial and marine environments. The system addresses the same ecosystems as the UNEP GRID New Zealand wetland classification. Rivers are also addressed in the NIWA river habitat classification. Level 4 of the classification for palustrine wetlands uses the vegetation classification system in Meurk and Shaw (1994). The system uses similar variables to the DOC Bay of Plenty Aquatic Biodiversity Classification System.
Relationship with other databases N/A

 

Current and emerging use for:

  
Assisting with determining historic state/ baseline The system may assist with determining the historic state of some freshwater ecosystems.
Assisting with determining current state/ baseline The system can be used to describe the current state of freshwater ecosystems.
Asssisting with scenario building and modelling of possible futures This would only be over long time horizons (e.g. lake changes to a bog)
Risk Assesment It may be possible to identify areas of risk in terms of freshwater ecosystem condition. This would primarily apply to lake nutrient and turbidity variables.
Monitoring site selection and sample design The system could be used for site selection purposes for freshwater ecosystems.
Aggregating and reporting data locally, regionally and/or nationally This is a hierarchical system and so it is possible to aggregate data upwards. Provided that adequate data has been collected it should be possible to report locally, regionally or nationally.

Current use (who,level,why)

The system was developed for the Department of Conservation. There are no current users.

User friendliness/public and decision maker understanding

Trained users should be able to follow the system. There is a moderate level of complexity that could hinder understanding by decision-makers. This is likely to be the case with most comprehensive classification systems applying to freshwater ecosystems.

System strengths

Current limitations of system

References

Collier,K. 1994. Freshwater. Pp 46-70 In Ecosystem classification for biodiversity conservation -draft for discussion. Peter Lawless (editor). Department of Conservation: Wellington.
Lowe,D.; Green,J.D. 1987- Origins and developments of lakes. Pp 1-64 In: (ed A.B. Viner). Inland Waters of New Zealand. DSIR Science Publishing Centre