Community uses and values of water informing water quality improvement planning: a study from the Great Barrier Reef region, Australia
Iris C. Bohnet A C and Clarence Kinjun B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, PO Box 780, Atherton, Qld 4883, Australia.
B Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, PO Box 303, Cardwell, Qld 4849, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: iris.bohnet@csiro.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 60(11) 1176-1182 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF08329
Submitted: 1 December 2008 Accepted: 23 July 2009 Published: 17 November 2009
Abstract
Community participation has gained widespread recognition in water management and planning for its potential to inform management plans and gain community support for actions that are aligned with the community’s water values. However, the practical application of community participation remains challenging as there is no consensus on who should be involved and why. During a participatory research project to inform the Tully Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP), the local community was involved in qualitative interviews and workshops to identify the water uses and values in the Tully basin. The results showed that these waters are extensively used and valued via a wide range of activities and that water is more than an economic good. All participants valued the aquatic ecosystems, which provide the basis for setting the most stringent water quality objectives (WQOs). Moreover, the results showed that many of the current uses and values of waters are under serious threat and that some uses and values have been lost over time. These findings informed the setting of the WQOs for the Tully WQIP to protect and re-establish the water uses and values that the local community supports.
Additional keywords: community engagement, environmental values, participatory planning, reef plan, Tully Water Quality Improvement Plan.
Acknowledgements
We thank all interviewees and workshop participants for the insights, local knowledge and time that they provided, the members of the Socio-Cultural Action Team and the Tully-Murray Floodplain Steering Committee for their support and interest in the project, Karl Haug for fieldwork assistance, Petina Pert and Caroline Bruce for map preparation and Brian Roberts for scientific discussion. Comments by Frederieke Kroon, Ellie Bock and Peter Stone improved the manuscript. This project was funded by Terrain NRM Ltd through the Coastal Catchment Initiative (CCI) under the Natural Heritage Trust and CSIRO’s Water for a Healthy Country Flagship.
References
ACC/ISGWR (1992). The Dublin Statement and Report of the Conference. International Conference on Water and the Environment: Development Issues for the 21st Century, 26–31 January 1992, Dublin, Ireland. United Nations Administrative Committee on Co-ordination Inter-Secretariat Group for Water Resources, Geneva.
Anon . (2003). The State of Queensland and Commonwealth of Australia. Reef Water Quality Protection Plan for catchments adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Queensland Department of Premier and Cabinet, Brisbane.
ANZECC (1994). National Water Quality Management Strategy. Policies and Principles. A Reference Document. Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council and Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand. Environment Australia, Canberra. Available at http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/quality/index.html#nwqmsguidelines [verified 28 November 2008].
ANZECC (1998). National Water Quality Management Strategy. Implementation Guidelines. Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council and Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand. Environment Australia, Canberra. Available at http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/quality/index.html#nwqmsguidelines [verified 28 November 2008].
ANZECC (2000). Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality. Volumes 1–3. Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council and Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand. Environment Australia, Canberra. Available at http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/quality/index.html#nwqmsguidelines [verified 28 November 2008].
Armour, J. D. , Hateley, L. R. , and Pitt, G. L. (2009). Catchment modelling of sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient loads with SedNet/ANNEX in the Tully–Murray basin. Marine and Freshwater Research 60, 1091–1096.
Barraqué B., Le Bourhis J. P., Maurel P., and Raymond R. (2004). Public participation in the Dordogne River Basin. Case study report produced under WP 5 of the HarmoniCOP Project. Available at http://www.harmonicop.info [verified 28 November 2008].
Beierle, T. C. , and Konisky, D. M. (2001). What are we gaining from stakeholder involvement? Observations from environmental planning in the Great Lakes. Environment and Planning. C, Government and Policy 19, 515–527.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bohnet I., Kinjun C., and Roberts B. (2006). Community uses of and values attached to waters in the Tully–Murray catchment. First Milestone Report for FNQ NRM Ltd. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Atherton, Qld.
Bohnet I., Kinjun C., Haug K., Kroon F., Sydes D., et al. (2007). Community uses and values of waters in the Tully–Murray catchment. Final Report for FNQ NRM Ltd. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Atherton, Qld.
Brodie, J. , Lewis, S. , Bainbridge, Z. , Mitchell, A. , Waterhouse, J. , and Kroon, F. (2009). Target setting for pollutant discharge management of rivers in the Great Barrier Reef catchment area. Marine and Freshwater Research 60, 1144–1149.
Davis R. (2006). Douglas Shire Water Quality Improvement Plan. Douglas Shire Council, Canberra.
Denzin N. K., and Lincoln Y. S. (Eds) (2007). ‘Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry.’ 3rd edn. (Sage: London.)
Department of Environment and Heritage (2006). Australian Wetlands Database. Available at: http://www.deh.gov.au/water/wetlands/database/index.html [verified 28 November 2008].
Devlin, M. , and Schaffelke, B. (2009). Spatial extent of riverine flood plumes and exposure of marine ecosystems in the Tully coastal region, Great Barrier Reef. Marine and Freshwater Research 60, 1109–1122.
Drewry J., Higham W., and Mitchell C. (2008). Water Quality Improvement Plan. Final report for Mackay Whitsunday region. Mackay Whitsunday Natural Resource Management Group, Mackay.
Duram, L. , and Brown, K. (1999). Assessing public participation in U.S. watershed planning initiatives. Society and Natural Resources 12, 455–467.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
EPA (2005). Establishing draft environmental values and water quality objectives. Guidelines. Queensland Environmental Protection Agency, Brisbane.
European Union (2000). Directive of the European Parliament and of the council concerning establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy (2000/60/EC). Available at http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:2000L0060:20080321:EN:PDF [verified 28 November 2008].
GBRMPA (2001). Representative Areas Program. Bioregions of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Australian Government Brochure. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Qld.
Greiner R., and Hall N. (2006). Social, economic, cultural and environmental values of streams and wetlands in the Burdekin Dry Tropics region. Report. Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM, Townsville, Qld.
Hophmayer-Tokich, S. , and Krozer, Y. (2008). Public participation in rural area water management: experiences from the North Sea countries in Europe. Water International 33, 243–257.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kingsford R. T., Dunn H., Love D., Nevill J., Stein J., and Tait J. (2005). ‘Protecting Australia’s Rivers, Wetlands and Estuaries of High Conservation Value: a Blueprint.’ (Australian Government, Land and Water Australia: Canberra.)
Kroon, F. (2009). Integrated research to improve water quality in the Great Barrier Reef region. Marine and Freshwater Research 60, i–iii.
Kroon F. J., Bradley P., and Roberts B. (2006). Strengths and weaknesses in the development and delivery of the Douglas Shire Water Quality Improvement Plan. Final report for FNQ NRM Ltd. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Atherton, Qld.
Luz, F. (2000). Participatory landscape ecology – a basis for acceptance and implementation. Landscape and Urban Planning 50, 157–166.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Miles M. B., and Huberman A. M. (1994). ‘Qualitative Data Analysis.’ 2nd edn. (Sage: London.)
Mostert, E. (2003). The challenge of public participation. Water Policy 5, 179–197.
Muhr T. (1997). ‘ATLAS.ti – The KnowledgeWorkbench.’ (Scolari–Sage Publications Software: Berlin.)
Pahl-Wostl, C. (2006). The importance of social learning in restoring the multifunctionality of rivers and floodplains. Ecology and Society 11, 10.
Renn O., Webler T., and Wiedeman P. (Eds) (1995). ‘Fairness and Competence in Citizen Participation; Evaluating Models for Environmental Discourse.’ (Kluwer Academic Press: Boston, MA.)
Silverman D. (2000). ‘Doing Qualitative Research – A Practical Handbook.’ (Sage: London.)
State of Queensland (1997). Environmental Protection Act 1994, Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 1997. Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Council, Brisbane.
Webler, T. , and Tuler, S. (2001). Public participation in watershed management planning: views on process from people in the field. Human Ecology Review 8, 29–39.
