Managing changes to hydrologic flow in the south-central United States

The Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership, a partner in the Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative, is advancing instream flow science by developing basic information necessary to support flow standards and water management recommendations for waterways throughout the region. Helping resource managers prepare for future population growth and climate change-associated flow alterations at regional and local scales will enable state and federal agencies to focus regulatory and management efforts on habitats most vulnerable to altered flow. They will be able to develop more effective management strategies to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife and better inform policy-makers on conservation needs.

Developing instream flow science is a priority for the Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative.  The project involved the work of many partners to gather baseline information on the ways the hydrology of rivers and streams throughout the area of the Gulf Coast Prairie LCC have been altered and the broader ecological effects of those changes.  It also prioritized future research to fill important information gaps and identified hydrology-related environmental challenges on which to focus and invest in the future.  It will be integrated with similar efforts in surrounding regions for even broader benefit.