As part of the 2020 Water for Food Webinar series of the University of Nebraska’s Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, Water Policy Group presented a webinar on Advancements in Agriculture Water Management and Regulation. The webinar discussed innovative approaches to water management and regulation in the agricultural sphere related to water quality and water use efficiency.
In episode 3 of the University of New South Wales Global Water Institute‘s ‘Global Water Matters‘ podcast, Gretchen Miller interviews Water Policy Group Member and Australian water policy expert, Jane Doolan.
The interview provides unique insight into the past, present and future of Australia’s journey on water reform, starting with Jane’s early work in Victoria grappling with complexity of introducing environmental considerations into decisions around water allocations.
Jane and Gretchen also discuss the policy developments and cooperation between states and the Commonwealth that led to landmark developments in Australian water management including setting caps on extraction, changes to land that enabled a market for trade of entitlements and a mechanism to allow water recovered for the environment.
However, Australia’s water reform journey has not finished and the podcast concludes with a discussion on the focus of the current Productivity Commission inquiry including the importance of respect for knowledge of traditional owners and greater participation in water reforms by all first nation communities; progress on urban water reform – particularly efforts to maximise the social value of water in our cities; and ensuring that the mistakes of the past in south eastern Australia are not repeated in northern Australia as government investment in water infrastructure increases in this region.
Water Policy Group member Anne Castle was recently interviewed in the University of New South Wales Global Water Institute’s latest Global Water Matters podcast, ‘Insights from the Colorado River’.
With an impressive career having provided hands-on leadership across many issues in the over-allocated Colorado River Basin, Anne’s insights come from the unique perspective of someone with both a professional and personal connection to the river—and a deep understanding of the all the many complexities involved in policy decisions.
How are the voices of Native Americans heard? How can water requirements be balanced between agriculture and cities? What is the role of non-government organisations? Is there a long-term plan to restore environmental flows to the Sea of Cortez? And what may the future look like for the river basin and all the communities and ecosystems that depend on it?
Listen to Anne’s compelling conversation with producer Gretchen Miller as they discuss some of the many challenges of managing the Colorado River, and talk about a new experiment that hopes to support a precious ecosystem situated downstream from one of the river’s largest dams.
Water Policy Group has been active at Budapest Water Summit 15-17 October 2019 through participation by Tony Slatyer in a plenary session on international water architecture, a side event on science and policy, and a Corvinus University workshop on water cooperation in Central Asia. See link for further details.
Policy scaffolding helps governments to move forward with the difficult decisions. Find out more from Tony Slatyer’s speech at the Sustainable Water Future Conference..
WPG member, Tony delivers a keynote speech on water policy and public health at the Austalian Public Health Conference 2019 in Adelaide, Australia. Read the full text here..
