From the Director  

It’s about 12 months since the Flagship was officially launched and our science teams across  Australia have achieved some significant results - some examples are detailed in this newsletter. We are also buoyed by the many valuable research collaborations and partnerships with clients we have formed that enable the Flagship to not only conduct research but also support those that manage Australia ’s water resources and form our public policies. 

Our goal is about increasing the benefits   Australia gains from its water resources. We need to focus on the science questions that will deliver the most water benefits. To this end, we have been fine tuning a portfolio of research projects that collectively, in time, can deliver the water efficiencies and benefits that Australia must achieve to maintain our lifestyles and sustain a growing population in a drying climate.

The Western Australian theme provides a good example of how we are refining our investment in science towards achieving maximum water benefit. The Kimberley Canal proposal provided us with the opportunity to analyze Perth and SW Western Australia in terms of water supply opportunities.  There are multiple sources of surface and groundwater, of various qualities and quantities, opportunities for water reuse on playing fields or gardens, potential for increased demand management, desalination and more efficient rural water use to free up water for urban use. Using a systems approach, the Flagship has been assessing the opportunities and therefore the knowledge needed to understand and better manage these water sources. Comparing these knowledge needs for water supply to some of our other science investments has, in SW Western Australia, led us to increase investment around Perth and reduce investment in the wheatbelt. 

Another example of a systems approach is in the Great Barrier Reef Catchments. The region returns over $4.3 billion per annum in tourism dollars alone, however under current management approaches and land use patterns the reef and the tourism and fisheries that it supports are vulnerable. 

In this region the Flagship is focusing on two key areas - rehabilitation of floodplains, their wetlands and estuaries and implementation of profitable and sustainable grazing systems. In the wetter catchments the floodplains are important for trapping sediment and nutrient, and simultaneously, if repaired, increasing fish habitat, a key benefit. Some 70 plus species of fish and prawns found in reef waters spend part of their lifecycle in the estuaries and wetlands.  Therefore the science to develop rehabilitation strategies will mean both a more productive and a more resilient reef ecosystem. This research has application beyond the Reef catchments – indeed to most of our east coast floodplains. Similarly, research on developing profitable grazing systems that ensure nutrients and sediments stay ‘on paddock’, has application to the extensive grazing industry that dominates tropical Australia. 

This UPDATE provides a snapshot of projects as diverse as an economic evaluation of the impact of sedimentation on the Reef; a tool that uses sound waves to detect young fish in our rivers; finding the water for further irrigation development in the Murrumbidgee catchment and a tool that will help urban planners link local hydrology with water quality and quantity. While diverse, each of these examples demonstrates the complexity of research that is needed to address the Flagship’s goal. All reinforce the importance of applying a systems understanding to managing our water resources better. 

In this issue we also welcome two newcomers to the Flagship, and to CSIRO; Dr Don McFarlane Theme leader for Southwest Western Australia and Dr Matthew Inman, Project leader Water Smart Cities. Both bring new and complementary skills to the Flagship and to the team of people who will make the Flagship a success.

I hope you enjoy the read.

Colin Creighton
colin.creighton@csiro.au

Update Home

Message from the Director

Swings and roundabouts on the Reef

Finding the water in the Murrumbidgee

Increasing water benefits - less water, more profit

Water security for C21st Perth

From the mountains to the sea - Australian cities and their water

Listen to all those fish

Planning for climate change in the Murray Darling Basin

Meet some scientists from the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship.

Meet Don McFarlane

Meet Matthew Inman

The Water for a Healthy Country Flagship is a CSIRO initiative and part of the National Research Flagships program that aims to deliver scientific solutions to advance Australia's most important national objectives. One of the largest scientific initiatives ever mounted in Australia, it aligns closely with the Federal Government's National Research Priorities. The initiative brings together our national research resources to deliver breakthroughs in fields ranging from healthcare to light metals and the environment.