Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
O
design of community engagement methods to fit the purpose and the
stakeholders' requirements, rather than applying an ill-fitting standard
approach;
O
focusing research around benefits that are most at risk and least under-
stood, rather than having scatter gun research programs that may not focus
on where the need is greatest;
O
identification of multiple future scenarios of climate and development,
to reduce risk and cost of failure during plan implementation because
no thought was given to coping with things such as worse than expected
droughts;
O
defining the plan logic early, so that actions can be focused on key areas
and all understand the relationship between plan actions and the benefits
and beneficiaries;
O
having an open process for identifying and assessing management options
that can lead to selection of options that are innovative, locally appropriate
and cost effective, rather than simply applying standard actions for all cases;
O
ensuring there is procedural fairness in the process from the start, thereby
reducing time and resources required to address actual or perceived
inequities late in planning and during implementation;
O
planning for adaptive management in ongoing plan implementation,
so that actions can be adjusted 'on the fly' to address problems in
implementation, improved knowledge and local variations;
O
establishing cycles of longer term evaluation and reviews of plans, so that
plans stay relevant and reflect the latest knowledge and experience;
O
establishing monitoring programmes that strategically relate to relevant
and practical performance indicators, rather than poorly targeted
monitoring programmes that prove to be of little value for evaluation.
We believe that governments and other bodies that are conducting or
supporting water resource planning would find it worthwhile to develop
practice guidelines that encompass the above matters in a way that is relevant
to their local water resource planning framework and needs. This will
ensure that planners have practical guidance in methods and approaches for
plan development, and reinforce a commitment to the process from higher
organisational levels.
Across the globe, water planners are challenged with how to incorporate
the needs and values of under-represented groups and Indigenous peoples in
water planning. In Australia, a clear intent of the National Water Initiative
and the National Water Commission is to engage Indigenous people in water
resource planning to address their cultural and economic needs. While there
has been an improvement in engagement, delivering their needs has proven a
challenge given the boundaries of legislative processes, the history of land and
water development in Australia, and marginalisation of Indigenous people.
This does reinforce the need for collaborative processes that make links
outside of the regulatory system where at least some of their needs might
