Informing future irrigation and water management at the Ord River, Western Australia

This project will synthesis opportunities afforded and resources required to pursue accreditation as a HELP basin through lessons learned from other Australian HELP basins, including the Murrumbidgee and Lower Burdekin. Results will be presented to stakeholders in the Ord Catchment to determine local interest in pursuing accreditation.

The Western Australian Government plans to expand irrigation in the Ord Catchment as one of its highest regional priorities. It intends to undertake this expansion in a comprehensive way, taking into consideration not only irrigation infrastructure but other social, environmental and economic needs and opportunities. The UNESCO-IHP HELP program is founded on these principles and the Ord Catchment has previously expressed interest in the program.

How do we ensure that planning and management for irrigation occurs in a way that maximises the social, economic, ecological and institutional goals of a wide interest base? One opportunity exists in the involvement in the UNESCO-IHP HELP initiative. UNESCO-IHP HELP is creating a new approach to integrated catchment management though the creation of a global network for water law and policy experts, water resource managers and water scientists to work together on water-related problems.

Why H.E.L.P. ?

At present there is a "Paradigm Lock" between outdated accepted practices adopted in water resource management for the benefit of stakeholders and the application of more recent scientific findings. Scientific research is isolated by lack of proven utility, whilst water policy and management is isolated by legal and professional precedence.

UNESCO-IHP HELP accreditation has demonstrated many benefits for catchments including: driver for funding opportunities into new research; funding and collaboration in order to ensure latest information is being implemented in management and policy making and; driver for local, national and international knowledge sharing through UNESCO-IHP HELP network as well as specific twinning opportunities with other catchments. Importantly however, the opportunities created through accreditation with UNESCO-IHP HELP has lead to better management of accredited catchments through more knowledge and the implementation of that knowledge leading to a more sustainable future.

UNESCO-IHP HELP will be calling nominations for catchments from around the World to become part of their network in the early part of 2009. The Ord Catchment has great potential to become part of this network which would create opportunities to learn from and contribute to the body of knowledge on sustainable irrigation and water management practices. The question to be answered by this project is weather there is a level of local community and political interest in pursuing the Ord Catchment nomination and accreditation as a UNESCO-IHP HELP basin. To determine this, the Ord Catchment Community will need to understand the benefits afforded from this accreditation and if they have the resources and capacity to support this ongoing association.

Aims

• the funding opportunities achieved through accreditation 
• opportunities for local, national and international collaboration, created through accreditation
• assistance in developing research direction and opportunities to bridge the gap between water law and policy experts, water resource managers and water scientists and facilitate the free flow of the latest information
•  accreditation management requirements. 

• potential benefits to Catchments in becoming accredited with the UNESCO-IHP HELP program
•  identify particularly pertinent benefits to the Ord Catchment through its remote location and unique resource base
• key avenues to successfully using the UNESCO-IHP HELP network to generate funding and collaboration.

Outcomes

• Accreditation proposal for the Ord Catchment to join the UNESCO-IHP HELP initiative if the Ord Catchment Community, through this project, deems that accreditation will help deliver significant benefits.
• Defined opportunities for funding and collaboration including increased understanding of the key mechanisms and drivers for funding and successful collaboration for the Ord Catchment.
• A brief on benefits and support requirements for UNESCO-IHP HELP accreditation that can be made available to other catchments and the program itself.
• Key knowledge gained fed back to the key stakeholders interviewed as part of the scoping phase as well as other catchments where deemed beneficial.

Background

In many parts of Australia there are extensive gaps between community aspirations and scientific research, particularly in regional and remote areas that are geographically separated from decision making centres. These areas often have large natural resource bases that offer substantial development opportunities, particularly in agriculture and irrigation, but limited capacity to plan and manage the optimal sustainable utilisation and development of these resources. None more evident than the abundant water resources that exist in parts of northern Australia in comparison to the current and increasing water scarcity in many other parts.

The Ord Catchment is particularly pertinent because the water resources that have been harvested are only partially utilised with existing plans to expand irrigation in the area. This situation is unusual in Australia and the opportunities to learn how to better manage existing water use and incorporate updated knowledge into planning for expansion of irrigation are unmatched anywhere else in Australia.

Publications and Resources

• Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy Website