New water policy initiative

In the Murray-Darling Basin, the competition for water is increasing and arresting the decline in water quality is a national priority. Concurrently, a revolution in landscape management is demanded to achieve long- term sustainability of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Regional participation and decision-making underpins the Council of Australian Government’s Water Reform Process, the National Water Initiative and the Prime Ministers National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality and the Murray Darling Basin Ministerial Council’s initiative, the Living Murray.

Governments at all levels, industries and communities are searching for innovative options and solutions to move towards a profitable and sustainable future for the region. Managers need intellectual depth and trans-disciplinary thinking to support water and land management policy, to integrate land and water management effectively, to take account of uncertainty, to build a capacity for adaptive management, and to engage decision- makers.

In an exchange of letters in early June 2003, the Vice Chancellor of Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Chief of CSIRO Land and Water (CLW) with in-principle support from the Murray Darling Basin Commission, agreed to enhance the region’s capacity for innovation in natural resource management and policy and jointly fund two five-year positions on the Wagga Wagga campus: Professor of Environmental Science (Systems Aquatic Ecology); and Professor of Water Policy.

A third position, Professor of Environmental Management, located at Albury, will be funded for five years by CSU.

It was agreed that the three new positions would work together and with existing staff to develop options and solutions to bring about the revolution in landscape management needed for the long-term sustainability of land and water ecosystems in the region.

Examples of specific studies that may be undertaken through the initiative include:

  • Irrigation and Water Use Efficiency (WUE): Determine WUE at various scales; develop and assess technology for WUE improvement; develop policy to improve WUE.
  • Conjunctive use of water: Develop methods and advise policy makers on conjunctive use of surface and ground.
  • Environmental water: Assist with the determination of water quantity and seasonality required for health of aquatic ecosystems, including methods for trade-off within and between catchments. (Includes groundwater-dependent ecosystems).
  • Integration of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems management: Develop a better understanding of the impact of large-scale terrestrial land-use changes (either natural or anthropogenic ) and climate change on riverine ecosystems; participate in the integration of modeling and monitoring capacity of Canberra-based scientists with aquatic ecologists and with irrigation agriculture specialists in Griffith and Wagga Wagga.
  • Decision making and governance: Assess and develop alternative approaches to regional governance and accountability, which incorporate participation of stakeholders and principles of fairness and justice.
  • Socio-economic and science integration: Investigate approaches to incorporate social, economic, cultural and biophysical factors into decision-making. Consider and recommend the best mechanisms for access to scientific and other information by decision- makers and land and water managers.
  • Monitoring and assessment: Develop appropriate biophysical and socioeconomic indicators.
  • Capacity building: Develop appropriate educational curricula and training at undergraduate, postgraduate and research higher degree level (eg with the National Rivers Consortium, Land and Water Australia, CSU will develop a postgraduate certificate in river restoration, which may be articulated with courses from other Universities and partners. International opportunities should be enhanced by the proposed partnerships).

Key stakeholders

CSIRO Land and Water aims to develop economically and socially responsible land and water management strategies based on rigorous research. The partnership will link, in particular, the Rivers and Estuaries Directorate, the Sustainable Irrigation Systems Directorate, the Policy and Economic Research Unit, the Australian Centre for Water in Society, and the Water Security and Sustainable Communities Directorate.

The Murray Darling Basin Commission coordinates natural resources management for the Murray Darling Basin and is responsible for operations in the River Murray and Lower Darling. The Living Murray initiative is a major activity to improve the health of the River while improving the sustainability of the Basin’s industries and communities and administering water resources management more effectively. The MDBC is keenly interested in developing research capacity and synergy in the region.

Charles Sturt University brings the advantages of geographic location in the Murray Darling Basin, a proven strength in delivering knowledge at a distance, and a wide range of disciplinary expertise, including science and agriculture, irrigation, information technology, spatial analysis, environmental science, commerce, health studies, education, rural social research, and professional and applied ethics. Location is important in regional decision making because of the need to develop trust and influence through use of local knowledge and networking.

The partnership provides the opportunity to develop this niche advantage, and to develop and pilot national and international best practice.