Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL190100164
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,336,000.00
Summary
Water Justice: Indigenous Water Valuation and Resilient Decision-making . The aim is to value water and support resilient decision-making for water justice. Its significance is to provide missing socio-cultural-environmental values of First Peoples water, the absence of which means Indigenous demands for water justice are frequently ignored. Project outcomes will empower First Peoples and support resilient and evidence-based decision-making. The key benefit is a sustainable Australia through: fi ....Water Justice: Indigenous Water Valuation and Resilient Decision-making . The aim is to value water and support resilient decision-making for water justice. Its significance is to provide missing socio-cultural-environmental values of First Peoples water, the absence of which means Indigenous demands for water justice are frequently ignored. Project outcomes will empower First Peoples and support resilient and evidence-based decision-making. The key benefit is a sustainable Australia through: first-ever conjoint socio-cultural values of First Peoples’ water; transformative decision-making to account for Indigenous values and risks (such as droughts); and a Water Justice Hub to create a generation of scholars in integrated water valuation, resilient decision-making, and Traditional Water Knowledge. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101503
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$357,996.00
Summary
Using improved markets to reduce over-extraction of groundwater. This project aims to investigate the key aspects needed for a successful groundwater market, including extraction limits, innovative trading systems and reasonable transaction costs. The outcomes of the project can contribute to environmental benefits that minimise short-term financial losses to irrigators. The project also expects to enhance the capacity of water agencies to implement cap and trade systems that can reduce over-ext ....Using improved markets to reduce over-extraction of groundwater. This project aims to investigate the key aspects needed for a successful groundwater market, including extraction limits, innovative trading systems and reasonable transaction costs. The outcomes of the project can contribute to environmental benefits that minimise short-term financial losses to irrigators. The project also expects to enhance the capacity of water agencies to implement cap and trade systems that can reduce over-extraction.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR200200186
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$230,583.00
Summary
Water resources management: past transformations for future sustainability. This project aims to develop a more systemic understanding of how culture, technology and institutional regulations have together transformed water resources management in Australia since the 1850s. Water resources in Australia have suffered multiple environmental and socio-economic crises. This project will identify the cultural and technological factors that have historically influenced allocations and access to water ....Water resources management: past transformations for future sustainability. This project aims to develop a more systemic understanding of how culture, technology and institutional regulations have together transformed water resources management in Australia since the 1850s. Water resources in Australia have suffered multiple environmental and socio-economic crises. This project will identify the cultural and technological factors that have historically influenced allocations and access to water resources for economic development, and the institutional regulations needed for tackling contemporary water crises. A deeper understanding of how public attitudes, institutions and socio-economic drivers redefined water resources management will help shape Australia’s capacity to prepare for a sustainable future. Read moreRead less
Representing low-frequency variability in hydro-climatic simulations for water resources planning and management in a changing climate. Simulating local hydro-climatology under likely climate change allows risk assessment of existing and future water infrastructure, along with the planning protocols needed to adapt to the changes ahead. This study aims to develop the tools needed to simulate local hydro-climatology, providing a basis for securing water for the generations to come.
A framework for model emulation and ensemble modelling. For improved water resource management there is a need for further development of appropriate hydrologic models. This project will undertake a collection of hydrologic modelling activities performed at multiple catchments in Australia. A modeling framework that is flexible, extendible and accounts for potential forecast uncertainties will be developed.
Better water management through more focus on ecological and social sciences. Current water resources management, focusing on gains of economic efficiency in the short term under the assumption of steady-state conditions, has generally failed to respond to both catchment environmental degradation and to the increasing complexity of human–environment interactions. This project will develop a new approach to water resources management by relating management practices based on ecological understand ....Better water management through more focus on ecological and social sciences. Current water resources management, focusing on gains of economic efficiency in the short term under the assumption of steady-state conditions, has generally failed to respond to both catchment environmental degradation and to the increasing complexity of human–environment interactions. This project will develop a new approach to water resources management by relating management practices based on ecological understanding to the social mechanisms behind these practices at water catchments. It will improve the predictability and precision of water resources management and increase our ability to maintain our options for a sustainable future. This will have a profound effect on catchment sustainability, a globally significant problem.Read moreRead less
Superhydrophobic fabrics for solar desalination of water. This project will further strengthen Australia's world leading position in water desalination technology and advanced fibrous materials research. It will lead to new membrane materials and techniques for high-efficiency, low-cost and energy-saving desalination of sea/saline water, which will have significant social and economic benefits.
Adapting for an uncertain future: farmer behaviour in water-stressed basins. Given the future risk of water scarcity, farmers will need to plan for greater farm-level adaptation. Drought and policy reform have inflicted significant economic, social and personal stress upon Murray-Darling Basin rural communities. This project aims to aid water managers and policy makers with a greater understanding of transformational farmer adaptation in order to plan for the economic, social and health impacts ....Adapting for an uncertain future: farmer behaviour in water-stressed basins. Given the future risk of water scarcity, farmers will need to plan for greater farm-level adaptation. Drought and policy reform have inflicted significant economic, social and personal stress upon Murray-Darling Basin rural communities. This project aims to aid water managers and policy makers with a greater understanding of transformational farmer adaptation in order to plan for the economic, social and health impacts of future water scarcity from climate change and water reform-related policies. The focus will be on the Murray-Darling Basin, as well as undertaking a comparative analysis with water stressed basins in the United States.Read moreRead less
Enhancing and evaluating stakeholder engagement for improved water outcomes. Stakeholder engagement, widely recognised as essential in successful water governance, remains ad hoc both in practice and as a research theme. Using a detailed analysis of a complex evolutionary case of stakeholder engagement in water management in the Murray-Darling Basin (1900- 2020), this project aims to develop new approaches to measure the structure and form of socio-culturally derived stakeholder engagement syste ....Enhancing and evaluating stakeholder engagement for improved water outcomes. Stakeholder engagement, widely recognised as essential in successful water governance, remains ad hoc both in practice and as a research theme. Using a detailed analysis of a complex evolutionary case of stakeholder engagement in water management in the Murray-Darling Basin (1900- 2020), this project aims to develop new approaches to measure the structure and form of socio-culturally derived stakeholder engagement system, to improve socio-economic and environmental benefits from water. The expected output is a new diagnostic tool for evaluating stakeholder engagement that can be taken up by governing bodies. The expected benefit is more inclusive, equal, and adaptive water governance through more effective stakeholder engagement.Read moreRead less
A novel approach for assessing environmental flows using satellite data. This project will determine how ecosystems respond to environmental flow by linking flooding history with vegetation responses, using remote sensing, climate data layers, spatial statistics, models of environmental flows and ecological theory. Beneficiaries will include water and land managers in Australia.