Associate Professor Shelley Burgin
University of Western Sydney
Co-authored with Basant Maheshwari, Tony Webb, Samsul Huda, Roger Packham, Qaiyum Parvez and Gary Wallac
A systems approach for water use and management in Peri-Urban Landscapes: connecting science and cultural dimensions for sustainability
Water has been managed as a resource from either a scientific or technological viewpoint. This approach to management of a scarce resource is ineffective. It is now recognised that water use and its management is multi-dimensional and complex, and is strongly connected with social, economic, cultural, spiritual, and political factors. Furthermore the associated management and research have often been fragmented at institutional, regional and national levels. The result is misunderstanding, confusion and conflict at various levels of government (local, state and federal), academia, industry, and the community (primary producers, industry and households). In turn this has further impacted on water sustainability. In this paper we offer a framework for exploring how to manage equity and sustainability of water use. We propose options to secure water supplies in the peri-urban landscape. We advocate a systemic action-research approach to exploring the debate that facilitates stakeholder participation and ownership of practical sustainable solutions.
About authors: The authors Shelley Burgin, Basant Maheshwari, Tony Webb, Samsul Huda, Roger Packham, Qaiyum Parvez and Gary Wallace form a part of the nucleus of the College of Health and Science’s Sustainable Water Futures research initiative at the University of Western Sydney. In the context of this paper, our interests span the spectrum of water in the landscape from an ecological ( Shelley Burgin), hydrological ( Basant Maheshwari) and risk management for climate change ( Samsul Huda) perspective, through policy development and implementation ( Tony Webb, Qaiyum Parvez, Gary Wallace, Shelley Burgin), green economics ( Gary Wallace) and community development/policy implementation/training and technology transfer ( Roger Packham, Basant Maheshwari, Qaiyum Parvez). We are united in our recognition that the solution to overcoming water issues lies in drawing on a broad range of skills from disparate disciplines to inform the debate through action research.
Email: s.burgin@uws.edu.au