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IWC
eBulletin |
April, 2006 |
In this Issue
- Welcome from CEO
- New Website Launched
- Philippines training - incorporating adoption of policy nationally
- Tweed River ecosystem advice
- Funding bid
- IWC node in South Africa
- Australian Water
Research Facility
- Education and training news
- IWC Healthy Waterways Champion named
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Welcome from CEO
Greetings,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to our first International WaterCentre Newsletter. Over the past 11 months IWC staff, board and executive have been working hard to develop IWC as a business. We are now launching our website, and this newsletter coincides with its launch.
For those of you not familiar with IWC, we are a joint venture business formed about one year ago through the initiative of the partners: University of Queensland, Griffith University, Monash University, University of Western Australia, International RiverFoundation, Moreton Bay and Catchments Partnership and the Queensland Government.
We are in the business of taking Australia's expertise in whole of water cycle management to organizations in the rest of the World. We do this through Applied Research, Education and Training and Knowledge Services. You will read in this newsletter about some of the projects in which we are involved, both in Australia and overseas.
It is our intention to publish this electronic newsletter quarterly and we look forward to your interest in IWC activities. We will also be listing relevant national and international news from our partners and from further a field.
I would like to thank the board and executive of IWC for their energy and support in developing the centre and the staff of IWC for their hard work in getting us on the road to success.
Mark Pascoe
CEO
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New Website launched
The International WaterCentre website has been officially launched.
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Philippines training - incorporating adoption of policy
nationally
The International WaterCentre conducted a two week training program on integrated water management in Brisbane in January for 16 senior managers from the Philippines National Water Resources Board
(NWRB).
The training program was conducted by IWC and the Queensland University of Technology, and funded by AusAID through the Philippines Australian Human Resource Development Facility
(PAHRDF).
The program included developing skills in stakeholder consultation and participation, water planning and regulation, data gathering and monitoring, alternative dispute resolution and advocacy skills.
Over the course of the training program the participants developed a national framework for the adoption of integrated water resource management in the Philippines. On returning to the Philippines, this framework was adopted by the Board of the NWRB. A tangible benefit of the training program, the framework will now guide the organisation as it moves towards integrated approaches.
The training also demonstrated international best practice in integrated water resource management through a combination of theoretical and on-site training opportunities. Training focused on water quality and quantity, environmental flows, water sensitive urban design and water treatment and reuse.
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Tweed River ecosystem advice
The International WaterCentre is collaborating with Healthy Waterways to provide technical advisory services to the Tweed Shire Council with a comprehensive ecosystem health monitoring program for the Tweed River and associated estuaries.
Project Manager Dr Tony Chiffings will oversee the program which includes the application of models such as the Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program (EHMP) developed by the Healthy Waterways Partnership.
Our project team will undertake sampling in the Cobaki and Terranora systems in the first instance, report their findings and develop a receiving water quality model and Environmental Health Monitoring Program.
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Funding bid
The International WaterCentre has been short listed in the top nine out of 149 applications to become a Research Hub for the Commonwealth Environment Research Fund (CERF). The funding is for $8 million over four years.
We submitted the full proposal to the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Heritage at the end of March, with a decision expected mid-2006.
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IWC node in South Africa
IWC member Monash University is looking to apply some of its IWC resources to establish an IWC node at the University's Johannesburg Campus.
Monash University's Dr John Tilleard, along with IWC CEO Mark Pascoe held a number of meetings in South Africa in February 2006 to establish the breadth of the market and in turn identify specific areas to which both IWC and Monash could contribute.
Dr Tilleard's preliminary report found that there is a demand for education, training and research at central and local government levels, and that Monash South Africa is well placed to address these demands.
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Australian Water Research Facility
IWC has commenced a three year contract with AusAID to undertake research for AusAID's Australian Water Research Facility (AWRF).
IWC will provide ongoing recommendations to AusAID for improving aid effectiveness in the water sector and build relationships with research and education organisations within the case study countries of East Timor and the Solomon Islands. AWRF is part of AusAID's ongoing effort to improve aid effectiveness, and encourage early career researchers to investigate water issues in our region, particularly the Pacific.
The AWRF is overseen by our Research Advisory Group, an interdisciplinary group made up of researchers from the four IWC universities. This Group provides overall guidance and academic input into the research program.
A situational analysis is underway and commenced with a desk study
and site visit to East Timor in February, undertaken by IWC Executive
Manager Bronwyn Powell and East Timor Water Specialist Graham Costin.
Discussions with East Timorese government, university, donor and NGO representatives indicated that water provision is a major constraint to development. Whilst there are numerous programs addressing this, AWRF has identified that it may be able to assist in risk assessment at a catchment scale. The AWRF approach will encourage collaboration with East Timorese universities for mutual learning and capacity building and involve early career researchers. A site visit to the Solomon Islands is planned for later this month.
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Education and training news
The Centre has recently/will soon appointed/appoint an Education and Training Project Officer, (insert name if appointed) to implement our Education and Training Plan.
IWC will be marketing two key education products - a Masters in Water Science and Management and short course offerings in various aspects of water management.
A minimum of three IWC short courses will be delivered in 2006 in the Asian Region and the Masters program is being developed to kick off in 2007.
All of the IWC courses will involve at least two of our partner universities.
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IWC Healthy Waterways Champion named
Quintessential volunteer president and project manager of the Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee (B4C) Wayne Cameron has been awarded the new International WaterCentre-sponsored
'Healthy Waterways Champion' at the annual Healthy Waterways Awards held on 5 April 2006.
Mr Cameron received a trophy and a cheque for $1,500 in recognition of his 13-year commitment to the waterways in
Brisbane's South-Eastern suburbs. Mr Cameron has been responsible for the Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee receiving $448,000 in grants which has resulted in the employment of 12 staff and four trainers.
He has also overseen the planting of more than a quarter of a million trees in the last seven years and was given the 'quintessential volunteer' title by his peers as he has never received payment for his service, electing to maintain a full time job at night in order to contribute more than 40 hours a week to the environment.
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