Investigating and addressing impacts of construction waste on waterway ecosystem biodiversity
Investigating the impacts of construction-waste on waterway ecosystem biodiversity and human wellbeing in urban growth areas.
Cluster
Research partners
Melbourne Water; Frogs Victoria; Friends of Merri Creek; Werribee River Association; Nature West; Moorabool Environment Group; Bacchus Marsh Platypus Alliance; EPA Victoria (South-West region)
Project team
Dr Jodie Valpied (Lead CI, Melbourne Biodiversity Institute/School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences); Dr Rebecca Webb (Partner Investigator, Melbourne Veterinary School); Dr Melissa Pineda Pinto (Partner Investigator, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning); Dr Nicole Rafferty (Partner Investigator, School of BioSciences); Professor Angus Webb (Partner Investigator, Department of Infrastructure Engineering); Associate Professor Jasmin Hufschmid (Partner Investigator, Melbourne Veterinary School); Professor Nicholas Williams (Associate Investigator, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences); Dr Judy Bush (Associate Investigator, Melbourne School of Design); Anna Langguth (Associate Investigator, Melbourne Veterinary School); Prabhath Meegamage (Associate Investigator, Melbourne Veterinary School); Professor Lusheng Shao (Associate Investigator, Department of Management and Marketing); Associate Professor Paul Cheng (Associate Investigator, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences)
Contact
Project summary
Australia's rapid urban development is putting pressure on waterways, with construction waste posing a major but under-researched threat to freshwater ecosystems. This project will investigate the impacts of construction waste on waterway ecosystem biodiversity and human wellbeing in urban growth areas. The team will bring together researchers, industry partners, government agencies, and community stakeholders to understand why construction-waste is entering waterways and map out a multi-faceted program to reduce these impacts, initially focusing on two large-scale housing development areas with the aim to scale up to a national level.
What are we interested in?
Australia is experiencing rapid urban development in formerly peri-urban and rural areas, often alongside waterways. Construction-waste entering these waterways poses a major potential threat to biodiversity and to equitable human access to green and blue spaces. However, there is little systematic research on the factors leading to construction waste entering waterways, how this impacts species diversity, trophic interactions, and human psychological wellbeing.
The goals of our project
The findings will inform current and future on-ground actions to reduce impacts of construction-waste on waterway biodiversity. This project will investigate the impact of construction-waste on ecosystem biodiversity along waterways and human wellbeing, understand why construction-waste is entering waterways, and map out solutions to reduce construction waste entering and impacting waterway ecosystems.
Outcomes / activities
This project will develop a literature review, exploratory research, and support interdisciplinary expert discussions. The research will cover conceptual mapping of construction-waste impacts on freshwater ecosystems; community surveys and stakeholder engagement across case-study areas; developing the findings into co-authored scholarly outputs and a framework for a program addressing construction-waste impacts.
Get in touch with the research team
- jvalpied@unimelb.edu.au