 |
 |
July 2008 |
 |
Young professional keeping people in the picture when it comes to the future of water in northern AustraliaJourneys through developing nations have highlighted the importance of people and local communities when looking at decision-making in water catchments, for CSIRO researcher Justin Story. ”Travelling the world throughout my life, especially over the last five years, has highlighted the importance of issues surrounding water and the management of water catchments”, says Justin, a Research Assistant working on Integrated Catchment Management systems for the Northern Australia Irrigation Futures project (NAIF). “I have always been interested in the environment but travelling, especially in third world countries, highlighted to me the importance of people and social systems within water catchments”. Justin has been able to develop this interest through his involvement with NAIF’s collaborative efforts to support future water planning decisions in the north. The focus of the NAIF project, part of the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship’s Better Basin Futures theme, is to provide new knowledge, tools and processes to support debate and decision making regarding irrigation in northern Australia. “The work is important to the future of Australia as NAIF is working with governments and stakeholders to support long term strategic thinking about northern Australia and the role of irrigation in that future,” he says. Justin says the project seeks to add value to government and community processes addressing natural resource management in order to ensure existing irrigation in northern Australia, and any new irrigation that is developed, is done so sustainably within a catchment context. A drying trend throughout southern Australia has prompted irrigators, politicians and the public to look to the north of Australia as a possible location to further supplement existing irrigation schemes in the south. “If this was to happen, the work I am involved with will help to ensure that they are developed and operated in a sustainable manner so that some of the negative issues that have arisen elsewhere don’t arise in the north,” Justin says. “Our work aims to ensure any new development takes into account a wide range of ecological, social and economic factors, whilst also recognising the importance that external pressures may play such as policy, climate change and community capacity.” Justin has a Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) and Bachelor of Science (Physics and Applied Mathematics) from the University of Western Australia. He is also a member of the Australian Water Association (AWA) Young Water Professionals Committee and likes to keep up to date with world events through groups like Engineers Without Borders (EWB). Justin says the work he is involved in is innovative, and the feedback and support the project has received from government, industry and researchers has confirmed that they’re on the right track to help solve current issues as well as prevent future ones. He hopes to continue working in the field of water catchment management and look at how to incorporate stakeholders’ perspectives into decision making in a meaningful way. In particular, he has an interest in the perspectives of Indigenous communities both in Australia and throughout the world. Contact: |
|
