The organisers have just posted an announcement for the 4th EGU Leonardo Conference on the Hydrological Cycle, which is reporoduced below.
Continue reading ‘Hydrology and Society Conference Annoucement’
Date: 22nd May 2012
Location: EA Auditorium, Chatswood
Time: 5:30pm for 6pm start
Drinks and nibbles will be available.
Title: Collaborative approaches to multi-level governance in the water sector
Speaker Bio:
Dr Katherine Daniell, BEng(Civil)(Hons)/BA (Adel.), PhD (ANU/AgroParisTech) MIEAust, is a Research Fellow at The Australian National University Centre for Policy Innovation. Her current research focuses on resolving the challenges associated with implementing multi-level participatory processes to bring about coordinated policy, adaptation strategies and local action for sustainable development. In this field, she has recently worked in France, Australia and Bulgaria on projects related to water governance, risk management and climate change adaptation. Her other research interests include public policy innovation processes, developing decision-aiding theory for multi-accountable groups and encouraging effective inter-organisational collaborations. Katherine is currently a member of the guest editorial team for a special feature in the Journal Ecology and Society on Implementing participatory water management: recent advances in theory, practice and evaluation, a compilation of papers that brings together policy, management and research lessons from the European Unions AquaStress and NeWater Integrated Projects. She is also a corresponding member on the Engineers Australia National Committee of Water Engineering.
Abstract:
This presentation explores this issue through the analysis of two recently implemented multi-level participatory planning processes in Australia and Bulgaria. The Australian process was designed to aid the development of an estuarine risk management plan for a peri-urban region to Sydneys north and the Bulgarian process was developed to aid capacity building for coping with flood and drought risks in the Sofia region. The evaluation results of both multi-level participatory modelling processes and their organisation are used to provide insights into the factors that facilitate the development and implementation of successful processes. It is suggested that careful management of both the participatory modelling process and the participatory organization process are vital if positive on-the-ground outcomes are to be achieved, and that there are bodies of theory and decision-aiding methods available to aid the development of successful multi-level participatory modelling processes. From the analyses and insights, an agenda of further work required to better understand these processes and to drive sustainable and integrated management is developed.
The following is a cross post of a conference announcement that may be of interest to our subscribers.
Practical Responses to Climate Change Conference, 1-3 May, Canberra, Australia
Registrations are now open for the ‘Practical Responses to Climate Change’ conference which will be held in Canberra, Australia, at the National Convention Centre from 1 to 3 May 2012. The theme for 2012 is ‘Water and Climate: Policy Implementation Challenges’.
The conference will provide a forum for presenting strategies for managing a variable and changing climate, with a particular focus on the water sector. It will be an opportunity for policy makers, engineers, business leaders, planners and researchers from a range of disciplines to present, listen to and debate the latest research and practice on water and climate policy implementation challenges in urban, catchment and coastal environments. High profile national and international speakers will be brought together with delegates from around Australia and the world for a series of plenary lectures and contributed papers that will ensure a vibrant and interesting program. Discussion panel sessions at the end of each day will be included to allow a forum for debate of key issues and also presentation and discussion of the most recent thinking.
Just some of the speakers include:
- James Cameron – CEO, National Water Commission
- Wendy Craik AM – Commissioner of the Barriers to Climate Change Adaption Inquiry, Productivity Commission
- Phil Cummins – Deputy Commissioner, Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry
- Rhondda Dickson – CEO, Murray Darling Basin Authority
- Leo Dobes – Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU
- Rowan Douglas – CEO Global Analytics, Willis Group & Chairman, WillisRe Research Network
- Alistair Driver – National Conservation Manager, UK Environment Agency
- Barbara Norman – Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Canberra
- Mike Rothery – First Assistant Secretary, National Security Resilience Policy Division, Attorney-General’s Department
- Harinder Sidhu – First Assistant Secretary – Adaptation, Science and Communication Division Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
- Caroline Sullivan – Assoc Prof Environment, Economics and Policy, Southern Cross University
- Rob Vertessy – Acting Director of Meteorology, Bureau of Meteorology
The full program can be downloaded.
The conference is run by Engineers Australia in partnership with the HC Coombs Policy Forum at the Australian National University. Further information on the conference and registrations (including reduced prices for students) can be found at: www.climatechange2012.org
This is a cross post from the EA Western Sydney Regional Group. RSVP is required and please see the PDF flyer for full details.
The following is a cross post from Engineers Australia National Committee on Coastal and Ocean Engineering
PRESENTATION TITLE: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION FOR WATER RESOURCES:MOVING FROM SCIENCE TO POLICY
EMINENT SPEAKER: Dr Kate White PhD, PE
Senior Lead for Global and Climate Change, US Army Corps of Engineers
Date: Tuesday 8th May 2012
Time: 5:30pm for 6:00pm start
Venue: Zenith Theatre and Convention Centre
Corner McIntosh and Railway Streets, Chatswood, NSW
TO REGISTER to attend online, please use the below link:
http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/eminentspeaker/
Over at The Conversation Dr Ian Prosser, Science Director for the CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country National Research Flagship, has published an opinion piece on the Murray-Darling plan.
One of the big challenges around the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s Proposed Basin Plan is to work out just how much the basin’s environment would benefit from the plan.
When the Guide to the proposed Basin Plan was released in 2010 there was plenty of information to fuel debate about the costs to irrigated agriculture and communities of reduced water use. However, there was less information on the benefits to Australia of returning river environments to a healthier state.
…
The full report is available at The Conversation.
James Ball managed to get himself (and ARR) into the Herald. Its actually a short simple overview of the ARR process and outcomes.
While this is not a Panel organised event it may be of use to members on our lists.
A 2-day Workshop entitled “Stormwater Management (source control)” has been organised by EEA (Engineering Education, Australia) for Thursday/Friday 3/4 May in Sydney. The Notes provided in the course are based on content of the award-winning manual “WSUD: basic procedures for ‘source control’ of stormwater – a Handbook for Australian practice” edited by Professor John Argue (University of South Australia). This document is endorsed by Stormwater Industry Association (SIA), Australian Water Association (AWA) and by Dept of Water, Western Australia. The Notes have been regularly updated since first publication in 2004.
If you are interested please contact EEA or Professor John Argue (HIDDEN EMAIL) directly. John has provided an overview flyer as well.
Over on the HWRS2012 website there is a reminder that the call for abstracts is now open and that they will close on the 19th March 2012.
On behalf of the Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium (HWRS) 2012 Organising Committee, I would like to remind you that the call for abstracts for the Symposium is now OPEN. A flyer with further information including important dates for the Symposium is attached to this email.
HWRS 2012 takes place from 19 – 22 November 2012 at Dockside, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Abstracts can be submitted via the Symposium website www.hwrs2012.org.au on the ‘Abstract Submission’ page. Please note that the closing date for abstract submission is MONDAY, 19 MARCH 2012.
This is a repost of a newsletter from the ARR team.
Continue reading ‘ARR Update February 2012′
