Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8.
Can Water Allocation Buyback Schemes be Equitable
for Impacted Communities?
Rob Freeman 1
Some communities are being impacted by reductions in the access to water resources
through market place water trade or through statutory water planning processes. This is
often complicated by emotional issues as water moves from agriculture to the industrial
or urban sectors or to the environment. Popular wisdom suggests that structural
adjustment will occur if water allocations are purchased, and while this might adequately
compensate the holder of the water licence, does it adequately deal with the broader
community impacts?
Background
In 1987 the World Commission on Environment and Development released Our
Common Future , in which the commission identified that current patterns of economic
growth could not be sustained without changing attitudes and action to align with
ecologically sustainable development. Two years later the Australian Government
embarked on a process of public discussion that culminated in the development of the
National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development in 1992. This strategy
complements and fulfils the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development plan known as Agenda 21 .
Australia's largest river system, the River Murray, is in distress. After years of denial
and debate, a decision has been made to return 500 GL of flow annually to the river as
environmental flow, to improve its health. The best available science indicates that a
minimum of 1 500 GL is required to have a reasonable chance of returning ecological
health to the river and floodplain. Some ecologists argue that returns of the order of 2 500
to 3 000 GL are necessary to ensure a return to the status of a healthy working river.
Whilst there is not total agreement between the jurisdictions on the volume required to
achieve the necessary environmental outcome, governments recognise that 500 GL as a
1.
Chief Executive, Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, South Australian
Government, Adelaide.
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