1. Dr. Poh-Ling Tan, Associate Professor, Socio-Legal Research Centre/Australian Rivers Institute Griffith University, Brisbane, AUSTRALIA Water matters: a transdisciplinary approach to water planning in Australia

2. Key message: Implementation of legal provisions requires sound policy documents and practical tools that in turn are based on a transdisciplinary problem-solving approach. 1. Context 2.Identifying challenges to water planning 3.Meeting the challenges: suite of different tools developed 4. Investigation of Indigenous cultural interests 5. AM planning framework - need for review and evaluation

3. 1. Context - Australian Water - Diversity Blanche Mound Springs, South Australia Typical picture of salinity, Victoria Fitzroy River, QueenslandTodd River, Northern Territory

4. Rainfall distribution

5. Water reform National Water Initiative (2004) Large focus on statutory water planning including legal provisions that call for: Sustainable management of water using best available science Public participation (NWI calls for transparent decision making) Consideration of social and economic impacts Provision public benefit outcomes Provision for Indigenous values to water.

6. Two major research projects

7. 2. Identifying and addressing challenges to water planning Addressing over-allocation and achieving ecological sustainability* Improving community engagement* Building community confidence in planning* Achieving distributional equity* Improving risk and impact assessments* Dealing with uncertainty and change* Building in adaptability* Providing the needed human resources Encouraging trade and specification of water entitlements Integration with NRM and urban water supply planning * Areas that were addressed in research

8. Bio-physical and social science meet in water planning Consumptive Ecological needs Social Choices Environmental Assets Ecosystem functions Environmentally sustainable level of extraction – the level of water extraction from a particular system which, if exceeded would compromise key environmental assets, or ecosystem functions and the productive base of the resource.

9. Mapping expectations of water planning (Collaborative Water Planning Project) Overcoming barriers to community engagement to water planning include – Addressing lack of community confidence in adequacy and accuracy of the technical information used Finding more appropriate forums for meaningful Indigenous participation Finding better ways to communicate ‘science’ Reducing perceptions that outcomes are pre-determined through improving transparency of decision making

10. 3. Suite of practical tools developed

11. 4. Investigation of Indigenous cultural interests Murray, South Australia – Ngangaraku people at Nildottie Condamine region, Queensland Tiwi Islands - Northern Territory – Participatory mapping, visits to country – Gender differences – Physical GW model

12. 4.1 Tiwi Islands, NT: Physical Groundwater model

13. 4.2 Groundwater Visualisation Tools, Howard East, NT: participatory GVT

14. 5. Integration of tools/knowledge within AM planning framework

15. Evaluation CriteriaFocusIndicators/ things to look for Process Inclusiveness; Good communication Clarity of purpose Incentives to participate Non-threatening Community used Requests for further demonstrations Technical Quality Accuracy Realism Model correct Model works on the day Operation clear? Relevant questions asked Stakeholder Outcomes Provokes discussion/ learning Appreciation of complexity of management system; Awareness of inter-dependencies …of aquifer/springs/ natural system and human use of aquifer water; New ideas to act on? Planning Outcomes Data recovered from discussions are useable Use of model in communication in ongoing manner Level of community/agency ownership – on- going maintenance or follow up

16. Conclusions and limitations Transdisciplinary approach – law, social, ecological and hydrological sciences critical to successful problem solving or planning – Social learning enables acceptance of need to cut back overallocated entitlements – Gap between disciplines, gap between “western” and traditional ecological knowledge not easily bridged – Time, skills, resourcing are challenges Four features useful in building community confidence – Independence of scientists and experts – Participatory and inclusive methods of gathering information where data gaps perceived – Methods that embrace complexity and provide instantaneous record of discussion – Methods evaluated and compared for good process

17. For our reports see www.waterplanning.org.auwww.waterplanning.org.au Acknowledgements The Collaborative Water Planning Project (2007-2009) was funded through the Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge research hub which brings together leading tropical river researchers and managers from a group of universities and institutions. The Water Planning Tools project (2008-2010) was funded by the National Water Commission through its Raising National Water Standards Program which supports the implementation of the National Water Initiative. Over the four year period of the two projects, many Indigenous groups, community members, stakeholders and water planners participated in the research and we thank them for their patience, ideas, and generous contribution of their time.