Griffith University researchers will partner with beverage manufacturer Suntory Oceania to perform critical research that aims to transform how we protect rivers, waterways and drinking water for future generations.
The $1 million three-year partnership is Suntory's largest local water commitment to date, reinforcing its goal to keep waterways healthy and return more water to nature than it uses across its operations.
Griffith University's Australian Rivers Institute (ARI) researchers will examine how climate change has impacted Australia's waterways and whether environmental 'safe zones' – Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries – hold true for protecting river and wetland health.
"Climate change is changing in unprecedented ways," co-lead researcher Dr Ben Stewart-Koster said.
"We cannot keep making decisions the way we have in the past.
"An exciting aspect of this research is it will chart a course to incorporate these changing conditions into our natural resource planning." The research team will analyse global data to understand how altered rainfall patterns, floods and prolonged droughts are affecting water flows.
They will also examine the connections between land and water systems and how these interactions impact the health of the water bodies.
These insights will help develop practical actions to keep water systems healthy and resilient.
"Around the world aquatic ecosystem health is declining. We need targeted actions to stop them from reaching critical tipping points, such as crossing Earth system boundaries, where their biodiversity and provision of nature's benefits decline rapidly. Research like this provides a fantastic opportunity to guide ecological management to arrest that decline."
Dr Liliana Pagliero, Australian Rivers Institute
The research will draw evidence from Suntory's water replenishment work in Queensland's Lockyer Valley – one of the nation's most productive agricultural regions and a vital catchment for the Brisbane River.
Working with local landholders, Suntory is restoring waterways, improving soil health, and strengthening biodiversity to support the ecosystems that supply its new Queensland site.
These on-ground projects help secure the region's water resilience and advance the company's goal to replenish more water than it uses.
Suntory Beverage & Food Oceania CEO Dai Minato said: "For more than 125 years Suntory has been Growing for Good – inspiring the brilliance of life in harmony with people and nature."
"Our partnership with the Australian Rivers Institute continues that commitment.
"By working together, we can safeguard water for communities and for future generations."
When the program concludes, ARI will apply its findings to model quality and quantity of water flows and establish refined 'safe zones' across Australia's waterways.
This will pinpoint areas where catchment and river flow restoration can improve water quality and ecosystem health.
The research will also help inform policymakers in strengthening the long-term resilience of rivers and lakes, and the communities that depend on them.
The partnership also complements Suntory's global Mizuiku water education program, newly launched in Australia in 2025, designed to teach primary school-aged students about the importance of water conservation.
"We are thrilled to partner with Suntory to conduct research with application to rivers, lakes and reservoirs locally and globally," ARI Director Professor David Hamilton said.
"These systems are sentinels of what is happening in their catchments.
"They are the 'canary in the coal mine', ringing the alarm bell for where human activities and climate change are causing the greatest stress on our ecosystems."
