A state and transition framework to guide riparian woodland vegetation management and environmental water decisions

River regulation and water extraction are major threats to the health and persistence of water-dependent ecosystems, such as riparian woodlands and forests. In heavily modified agricultural landscapes, riparian vegetation is also impacted by site-level stressors like livestock grazing, tree clearing, and weed invasions. Complex interactions among spatial and temporal drivers in water-dependent ecosystems can result in poorly articulated conservation objectives and inefficient or siloed management decisions. Where restoration funds and environmental water allocations are limited, these inefficiencies are magnified. We propose a management-focused state and transition model to identify restoration pathways that involve changes in site and flow management, describe common riparian woodland states, and develop measurable targets aligned with transitions among riparian states. We demonstrate how this approach can be used to support spatially explicit strategies and prioritization of environmental flows or other management actions in a case study within a highly fragmented catchment in southeastern Australia. Additionally, we provide templates and workflows to guide management agencies to further refine our generic model based on local knowledge and values, which will facilitate better communication, structured decision-making, targeted monitoring, and adaptive management by land and waterway managers.