The role of waterways on our water future is very critical. We need to monitor and understand our waterways to be able to track the effectiveness of the solutions provided to enhance them.  in her presentation, Eva Abal shows the very critical role of science communications on how to package the monitoring results of our waterways. The challenge for researchers is to make information palatable for the politicians that make decisions on waterways protection and restoration. The way we do this is by innovative visualization techniques that will provide a  view of the waterway as a complex system subject of complex dynamics in their degradation. In this way,  politicians are able to invest in more holistic, long term solutions.

Eva Abal is the Director of the recently established University of Queensland (UQ) Water, which aims to coordinate research activities in water across UQ’s faculties, institutes, and centres. She is also the Strategic Science Director for the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, working to understand and promote resilient reef ecosystems adapting to climate change for investor funding. Eva’s scientific expertise and research interests include strategic research framework development towards impact; building partnerships amongst research, government and industry; science leadership; and effective science communication through Ecosystem Report Cards.