What have we learned about Australia’s swampy meadows? a literature review

Abstract Scientists coined the term ‘swampy meadows’ over thirty years ago to describe a type of low-energy, discontinuous watercourse found in the valley fills of Southeastern Australia. Swampy meadows are believed to provide important ecosystem services, such as wildlife conservation and water security; but to assess these claims, scientists must first understand the hydrology, geomorphic history, cultural value, and ecological significance of swampy meadows. In this paper, we reviewed literature from The Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar to find that most published articles on swampy meadows are geomorphological studies of degraded systems. While these studies are important and must continue, we argue that they alone are insufficient to resolve the longstanding debates surrounding swampy meadow conservation and restoration. To make further progress on these debates, scientists should compare swampy meadows across multiple catchments, especially those that are still considered ‘intact’, and expand the scope of their current research to include topics such as biology and socio-economy. Scientists should also address directly the questions and claims raised in grey literature on the costs and benefits of restoring swampy meadows. We argue that the most effective way to protect swampy meadows is to first identify the cultural values and ecosystem services they provide, then establish management policies around these values and services.