Gilad Bino

UNSW Sydney | UNSW · School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES)

Context The Murray–Darling Basin serves as a crucial habitat for aggregating waterbirds; however, decades of large-scale regulation of rivers and water resources have adversely affected waterbird breeding in the Basin. Aims To understand the characteristics of wetlands that attract and support aggregating waterbirds, focusing on identifying environ...

Context Water pumps fitted with filtering screens are effective for delivering water to floodplain environments and excluding large-bodied exotic fish; yet, the benefits to wetland fish and anurans are unknown. Aims To quantify fish and tadpole responses to refilling wetlands with water pumps fitted with large-mesh screens following drawdown v. ove...

Rivers and their interdependent human communities form social-ecologically complex systems that reflect basin scale functionally but are often governed by spatially mismatched governance systems. Accounting for this complexity requires flexible adaptive governance systems supported by legitimacy in decision-making processes. Meaningful community di...

We investigated the decision-making in relation to the ecology and management of the Menindee Lakes Water Savings Project (the Menindee Lakes Project). We investigated the available scientific evidence and stakeholder consultation, required for rigorous adaptive governance of decision-making, identifying significant weaknesses in the approach, driv...

The evolutionarily unique platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) has experienced major declines and extinctions from a range of historical and recent interacting human-mediated threats. Although spending most of their time in the water, platypuses can move over land. Nevertheless, uncertainties remain whether dams are barriers to movement, thus limiti...

We respond to the problem of declining streamflows in the northern Murray–Darling Basin, Australia, a region that suffers from hydrological droughts and a drying trend. We partitioned the effect of meteorological trends from anthropogenic drivers on annual streamflow, quantified the effect of annual streamflow decline on waterbird abundance, estima...

Populations of the evolutionarily unique platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus ) have experienced major declines and local extinctions from a range of historical and recent interacting threats, including fur trade, land clearing, water resource developments (dams and extractions), invasive species, fire, pollution, and urbanisation. Although spending...

Platypuses ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus ) forage for macroinvertebrate prey exclusively in freshwater habitats. Because food material in their faeces is well digested and mostly unidentifiable, previous dietary studies have relied on cheek pouch assessments and stable isotope analysis. Given DNA metabarcoding can identify species composition from onl...

Freshwater ecosystems are home to a rich biodiversity that faces many persistent and emerging threats and stressors. Scientists have adopted the use of electronic tagging and tracking technology (e.g., biotelemetry and biologging) to understand the biology and animal behavior of organisms that live in inland waters. Electronic tags can help generat...

• Conservation requires reliable estimates of a species' population and their spatial distribution. Knowledge of large-scale habitat use and population trends in common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius; hereafter hippo) in wetland ecosystems is limited, with no studies of hippo populations in the Okavango Delta (the Delta), Botswana. • We exami...

The Murray-Darling Basin (the Basin) is the largest river system in Australia, supplying about 40% of the country’s irrigated agricultural output. Associated water resource development has come with a heavy price for the Basin’s freshwater ecosystems degrading them over decades. Australian governments are attempting to achieve environmental sustain...

Waterbird populations in eastern Australia have been declining over the past 35 years primarily due to water resource development and resultant changes to natural river flows and flooding. To mitigate these impacts there is an increased allocation of water for the environment, including waterbird populations. We used population viability models to...

Platypuses ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus ) inhabit the permanent rivers and creeks of eastern Australia, from north Queensland to Tasmania, but are experiencing multiple and synergistic anthropogenic threats. Baseline information of health is vital for effective monitoring of populations but is currently sparse for mainland platypuses. Focusing on sev...

The Okavango Delta is renowned as an extraordinary ecosystem of high biodiversity, listed as both a Ramsar and World Heritage Site, with part protected in the Moremi Game Reserve. This extensive floodplain ecosystem has 444 recorded bird species, with just under a quarter of these waterbirds, including at least 16 breeding and 4 threatened (1 endan...

Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a “Green List of Species” (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species’ progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 s...

Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a "Green List of Species" (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species' progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 s...

Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a "Green List of Species" (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species' progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 s...

Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a “Green List of Species” (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species’ progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 s...

Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a "Green List of Species" (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species' progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 s...

The Ramsar Convention (or the Convention on Wetlands), signed in 1971, was one of the first international conservation agreements, promoting global wise use of wetlands. It has three primary objectives: national designation and management of wetlands of international importance; general wise use of wetlands; and international cooperation. We examin...

The Malkumba-Coongie Lakes Ramsar Site has extensive terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems (largest Ramsar Site in Oceania, 2,178,952 ha, designated in 1987), including freshwater and salt lakes, lignum swamps and river channels in central Australia. It is supplied by Cooper Creek, a free-flowing Lake Eyre Basin river system. The area includes past...

The strong inter-dependence between terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, mediated by the character of vegetation and landscapes, can have significant impacts to freshwater species. A changing climate towards hotter and drier climates is already increasing fire frequencies and severity around the world. The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a...

The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal, endemic to freshwater habitats of eastern Australia. There are gaps in the understanding of platypus movement behaviour within river systems, including spatial and temporal organization of individuals. We tracked movements of 12 platypuses on the regulated Snowy and Mitta Mitta Rivers for up to 12-months, the...

• River regulation has extensively changed the ecology and hydrology of rivers worldwide, particularly downstream of dams, affecting the viability of freshwater species. The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semiaquatic monotreme, endemic to eastern Australia, with a distribution overlapping Australia’s most regulated rivers. • Dams and chan...

• The platypus is a cryptic mammal that inhabits freshwater streams and rivers of eastern Australia. Tracking the movements of wild platypuses has been notoriously difficult due to the animals' morphology and methodological limitations. Knowledge of fine‐scale movements and interactions among individuals remain particularly poorly understood, as do...

Understanding the mechanisms which drive large scale population dynamics of highly mobile organisms, such as birds, is as challenging as it is important. For waterbirds depending on Australia's dryland rivers, little is known about the spatiotemporal dynamics and degree of population synchrony, despite its importance for conservation theory and pra...

Aim: Seasonal germination is critical in synchronizing seedling emergence with optimal conditions for survival but will be disrupted by climate change. Understanding how germination of threatened species with complex dormancy patterns will be affected by climate change is a priority for their management. By exploring the effects of temperature on g...

The unique platypus is currently listed as ‘Near-Threatened’ under the IUCN Red List based on observed population declines and local extinctions, though significant uncertainty exists about its current distribution and abundance. We did the first population viability analysis across its entire range, using distribution and metapopulation data and m...

Of the Earth's three major biomes or realms, freshwater is the smallest, dwarfed in size and extent by terrestrial and marine realms. It has also been the most exposed to human exploitation, resulting in higher declines of biodiversity compared to other realms, primarily because of human reliance on fresh water and invasive species. Major sub-biome...

Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) are evolutionarily distinct monotremes, endemic to creeks and rivers of eastern Australia. Given recent evidence of a contracting distribution and local extinctions, the species was listed as ‘Near-Threatened’ in 2016. The magnitude of decline remains unknown, given little quantitative evidence of historical abun...

Context Urbanization fragments and destroys natural landscapes, generally decreasing bird diversity. While in some cases bird diversity continuously decreases in response to urbanization, in others a non-linear response is evident, with peak bird diversity observed at intermediate levels of urbanization. But many studies previously investigating th...

The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is one of the world's most evolutionarily distinct mammals, one of five extant species of egg-laying mammals, and the only living species within the family Ornithorhynchidae. Modern platypuses are endemic to eastern mainland Australia, Tasmania, and adjacent King Island, with a small introduced population on...

Water resource development on rivers significantly affects life cycles of species reliant on wetlands. However, assessing ecological impacts is often difficult because they are realised over long-time periods and large spatial scales, particularly on highly variable dryland rivers. Thirty percent of all Ramsar wetlands are in drylands. We examined...

The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is an evolutionarily distinct mammal, endemic to Australian freshwaters. Many aspects of its ecology and life-history, including detailed understanding of movements, are poorly known, hampered by its cryptic and mainly nocturnal habits and small numbers. We effectively trialled intraperitoneal implanted acous...

Freshwater turtles face many threats, including habitat loss and river regulation reducing occupancy and contributing to population decline. Limited knowledge of hydrological conditions required to maintain viable turtle populations in large floodplain wetlands hinders effective adaptive management of environmental water in regulated rivers. We sur...

Ecological networks are a cornerstone of ecological theory, offering an integrated approach to understanding food webs and ecosystem dynamics required for restoration and conservation ecology. We investigated ecological network dynamics in a large floodplain undergoing extreme variation in water availability, with drought and subsequent flooding re...

Prolonged periods of floodplain drying are becoming increasingly common due to severe drought events and the effects of river regulation. Using long-term monitoring, we assessed changes in freshwater plant community structure and composition before (2000–2002) and after (2010–2013) an extended drying period that resulted in two formerly persistent...

The world's freshwater biotas are declining in diversity, range and abundance, more than in other realms, with human appropriation of water. Despite considerable data on the distribution of dams and their hydrological effects on river systems, there are few expansive and long analyses of impacts on freshwater biota. We investigated trends in waterb...

The Murrumbidgee River Long-Term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) project is a collaborative project between Charles Sturt University, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, NSW Trade and Investment (Narrandera Fisheries Centre) and the University of New South Wales (Centre for Ecosystem Science). Funding from the Commonwealth Environmental Water Of...

Drawing on the experience and lessons of wetland researchers and managers in Australia and New Zealand, we examined the implications of climate change for wetland policy and management, and identified potential adaptation responses and the information needed to support these. First, we considered wetland vulnerability to climate change, focusing on...

Final report to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority

Australia has diverse wetlands with multiple threats. We reviewed knowledge about the extent of wetlands, representativeness, impacts and threats to integrity and options for effective conservation. Natural Australian wetlands cover an estimated 33 266 245 ha (4.4%), with 55% palustrine (floodplains and swamps), followed by 31% lakes, 10% estuarine...

Animals disperse in response to poor resource conditions as a strategy of escaping harsh competition and stress, but may also disperse under good resource conditions, as these provide better chances of surviving dispersal and gaining fitness benefits such as avoiding kin competition and inbreeding. Individual traits should mediate the effect of res...

The fate of Pantanal, one of the world's largest, most pristine and diverse wetlands, stands in the balance. The most recent (2014) and comprehensive land-cover change assessment of the Upper Paraguay River Basin (UPRB), comprising both lowlands (the Pantanal floodplain) and its surrounding upland savannas (Cerrado plateaus), demonstrates the exten...

Knowledge of the life-history and population dynamics of Australia's iconic and evolutionarily distinct platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) remains poor. We marked-recaptured 812 unique platypuses (total 1,622 captures), over four decades (1973-2014) in the Shoalhaven River, Australia. Strong sex-age differences were observed in life-history, inclu...

Dryland rivers have considerable flow variability, producing complex ecosystems, processes, and communities of organisms that vary over space and time. They are also among the more vulnerable of the world’s ecosystems. A key strategy for conservation of dryland rivers is identifying and maintaining key sites for biodiversity conservation, particula...

Colloff et al. (2015). Marine and Freshwater Research examined time-series data for flow-dependent vegetation, invertebrates, fish, frogs, reptiles and waterbirds in the Murray-Darling Basin, 1905 2013. They concluded that temporal patterns fluctuated, declining during droughts and recovering after floods. They suggested that major changes in land...

Increasing water abstraction is severely degrading the world’s wetlands, which is frequently reflected in the condition of flood dependent organisms. Understanding minimum requirements under which thresholds are crossed from desired to undesired states can improve managing for resilience and avoid catastrophic ecological consequences. The Macquarie...

Floodplain vegetation states (communities) exhibit spatiotemporal dynamics in vegetation structure and composition, which reflect unique hydrological and connectivity patterns. Shifts in inundation regimes can drive succession and establish new stable states, determined by the magnitude and duration of the hydrological perturbation. We aimed to dev...

Colloff et al. in Marine and Freshwater Research (http:dx.doi.org/10.1071/MF14067) examined time-series data for flow-dependent vegetation, invertebrates, fish, frogs, reptiles and waterbirds in the Murray–Darling Basin, 1905–2013. They concluded that temporal patterns fluctuated, declining during droughts and recovering after floods. They suggeste...

Authorities responsible for the management of the Macquarie Marshes have also invested in more strategic methods of management, including strategic adaptive management (Kingsford et al. 2011). This chapter highlights these challenges for the Macquarie Marshes, a Ramsar-listed wetland in the southeast of Australia, part of the highly developed Murra...

Objective 1 – QEOs: • Using modelled responses of waterbirds to environmental conditions and water availability allowed predicting for waterbird populations under different flow scenarios. • Predictions indicated that waterbird populations have been significantly impacted by river regulation, experiencing a reduction of 41.8%, on average, in total...

Global wetland biodiversity loss continues unabated, driven by increased demand for freshwater. A key strategy for conservation management of freshwater systems is to maintain the quantity and quality of the natural water regimes, including the frequency and timing of flows. Formalizing an ecological model depicting the key ecological components an...

Monitoring for species occupancy is often carried out at local scales, reflecting specific targets, available logistics, and funding. Problematically, conservation planning and management operate at broader scales and use information inventories with good scale coverage. Translating information between local and landscape scales is commonly treated...

Large identifiable landscape units, such as ecoregions, are used to prioritize global and continental conservation efforts, particularly where biodiversity knowledge is inadequate. Setting biodiversity representation targets using coarse large-scale biogeographic boundaries, can be inefficient and under-representative. Even when using fine-scale bi...

This report analyses long-term annual aerial survey data collected for waterbird communities across approximately 10% of wetlands across the eastern part of the Lake Eyre Basin, collected between 1983 and 2012, a period of 30 years. Waterbird data were used as an assessment of the condition of the wetlands in the Lake Eyre Basin, supplied by the ri...