L2A – celebrating 10 years!

L2A Strategic water management 5, 12 and 26 May 2021

This course will deliver targeted skills development on climate change in strategic water management. Guided by expert speakers from the research and policy communities and by case studies presented by practitioners, we will be considering how to manage water under the influence of climate change.

Water is foundational to urban and regional socio-ecological systems. These systems encompass a range of economic activities, important ecologies and human communities. This course explores strategies to build overall systems resilience as rainfall and runoff is increasingly subject to uncertainty and disruption. Our focus is on the NSW jurisdiction, exploring themes that apply just as well elsewhere.

Who should attend?

This course has been designed for practitioners looking to develop a specialisation or update their skills in natural resource management and looking to develop specialised skills in regulatory, policy, consulting responses to climate change and strategic water management.

Places are limited. L2A Strategic water management will run with a maximum of 30 participants to ensure quality of learning, and adequate scope for networking and engagement. The program will not be recorded to encourage open discussion.

Session 1 - Climate projections and water security

The science of integrating climate projections into water modelling is developing rapidly and has major implications for strategic water management. We will explore how policy makers are addressing water security in light of this science and some of the implications for agriculture and mining.

5 May | 9.00am - 12.30pm

• Mark Simons, Director, Regional Water Strategies - Coastal and Southern, Water Group | NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
  • Considering climate change in regional water strategies
• Dr Neal Hughes, Senior Economist, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
  • Trends in water supply and demand and the future of Australian water markets
• Chris McCombe, General Manager - Sustainability, Minerals Council of Australia
  • Water Stewardship in the minerals industry - a brief review
• Dr Fabian Sack, Director, Sustainably
  • Climate change and water security in Australia

Session 2 - Uncertainty in water resource planning

Climate change and the associated political and market responses are major sources of uncertainty in water resource planning. We will survey some of the ways in which industry and policy makers are managing this uncertainty, particularly in relation to water security for communities.

12 May | 9.00am - 12.30pm

• Elliot Stuart, Liveable Communities Advisor, Water Services Association of Australia
  • Best practice climate change adaptation for the urban water industry
• Marcia Dawson, Sydney Water, Senior Strategy Advisor
  • Strategic thinking – using plausible futures to plan for future uncertainty
• Dr Jane Doolan, Productivity Commission, Commissioner
  • National water reform, a refreshed intent
• Prof Pierre Mukheibir, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney: Professor of Water Futures
  • Adaptive Investment Planning: the art of keeping options open
• Dr Fabian Sack, Director, Sustainably
  • A history of uncertainty in water supply

Session 3 - Considering social and economic impacts

Climate change is increasing uncertainty around rainfall and runoff, impacting on our social-ecological systems and economies. We will consider alternative social and economic approaches to accommodating this uncertainty in ways that enhance resilience.

26 May | 9.00am - 12.30pm

• Associate Professor Bradley Moggridge, University of Canberra, Centre for Applied Water Science, Indigenous Water Science
  • Cultural Values of Water and the Opportunity to Influence Water Management
• Leo Drynan, Director, Rhelm
  • Water for the Future Strategy - Namoi Unlimited
• Associate Professor Nicholas Gill, Head of the School of Geography and Sustainable Communities, and The Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space, University of Wollongong
  • Transformational adaptation on the farm: Processes of change and persistence in transitions to ‘climate-smart’ regenerative agriculture
• Dr Emma Carmody, Managing Lawyer, Freshwater Team, Environmental Defenders Office
  • The role of good water governance and laws in a changing climate
• Professor Robyn Watts, Professor of Environmental Science, Charles Sturt University
  • Rivers as dynamic and sustainable social-ecological systems – expanding the framing of rivers in the Anthropocene

Course delivery

• Online via zoom over 3 x half days
• Start 9.00am – finish 12.30pm

Series Education Partner

Course Partner

Sponsorship

There are L2A sponsorship opportunities for: series partner, course partner and student member support.

Click here to download the Sponsorship Prospectus >