The Changing Value of Australian Tropical Rivers

Abstract

Until recently the objectives of tropical river management were narrowly construed: the development imperative drove resource policy. During recent decades, community attitudes to river and water management have changed considerably and the national program of water reform, the National Water Initiative, is accelerating alterations to the way that water is used, managed and priced. A broader range of values and imperatives is now influencing water resource management policy. Not least is the concern over the ecological impacts and economic inefficiencies of the large-scale hydrological schemes that once excited the public's imagination. This paper reports on a recent study of social and economic values of tropical rivers conducted by the authors for an Australian statutory research and development corporation. The study shows that the values associated with tropical rivers have changed and diversified over time with growing societal awareness of the contribution made by unregulated, healthy river systems to human wellbeing and cultural identity. As a consequence of substantial social change, tropical river management must now contend with a more complex array of societal values and water management objectives. KEY WORDS tropical river management; water resource management; social values; north Australian development; catchment management in North Australia

Community uses and values of water informing water quality improvement planning: a study from the Great Barrier Reef region, Australia

“…This is in line with other Australian and international studies that have identified water uses and values (e.g. Barraqué et al 2004;Davis 2006;Drewry et al 2008;Jackson et al 2008), indicating a growing societal awareness of the contribution made by rivers to human well-being and cultural identity.…”

“…Although at international and national levels, water management paradigms change from technical to more ecological approaches, real change in management practices is not guaranteed because water is still allocated primarily to activities that promise clear and quantifiable economic benefits, such as hydropower generation or irrigation for agriculture (Pahl-Wostl 2006;Jackson et al 2008). However, this may be changing with, for example, the introduction of payments for ecosystem services, such as the planting of native vegetation along rivers and creeks on private land.…”

“…recreational, cultural and spiritual uses) and intrinsic values (e.g. aquatic ecosystem values) that are difficult to measure in an economic context and even more difficult to attribute an economic value to (Jackson et al 2008). Consequently, these non-consumptive uses and intrinsic values have often been neglected and have not been considered in trade-off analyses that may become necessary (Greiner and Hall 2006).…”

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“…Ellis, 1986;Roesner et al, 2001;Shuster et al, 2005;Walsh et al, 2005;Fletcher and Deletic, 2006) and contemporary research has identified a much broader range of societal values associated with urban waterways in relation to aesthetics, amenity, recreation, tourism, economic development, intrinsic ecological health, heritage and indigenous values (see e.g. Takahasi and Uitto, 2004;Jackson, 2006;Jackson et al, 2008).…”

The study of human values in understanding and managing social-ecological systems

“…Reser and Bentrupperbäumer (2005:129) explain values as more "central," "deeply considered," and "strongly held" than attitudes. Values underpin decisions and behavior (Satterfield 2001), thus studying values can provide insight into people's differing viewpoints about how environment resources should be used, managed (Jackson et al 2008), and experienced. Although a study of mental models aims to elicit people's understanding of how environmental systems function, a study of values can tap into the moral and less tangible aspects of people's cognition.…”