1. Water, land and biodiversity management: some social research perspectives Professor Allan Curtis and Ms Gillian Earl

2. Overview The social dimension Water reform Changing structure of rural Victoria A duty of care for biodiversity conservation Challenging the asset- based approach to NRM

4. GROWTH IN ARTIFICIAL WATER STORAGE IN THE MURRAY-DARLING BASIN

5. Source Murray-Darling Basin Commission (2008) Annual Report 2007-08 Figure 2.1 http://www.mdbc.gov.au/subs/annual_reports/AR_2007-08/objective2_s2_1.htm

6. The contemporary context In a severe drought with record low inflows to the Murray Murray River is highly stressed and on average, the median river flow at the Murray mouth is only 27% natural outflow Three-fold reduction in medium-sized flood events Key environmental assets are degrading quickly: red gum forests; Coorong; wetlands along the Murray Calls from environmental groups and scientists to make further cuts to water allocations for irrigated agriculture Climate change means it is unlikely that previous patterns are a reliable indicator of future water availability

7. Dead red gum floodplain forests and salinised and acidified creek, Bottle Bend NSW, April 2007. ©Murray Wetlands Working Group

8. MACQUARIE MARSHES ca 1960

9. DRYING MARSH AREAS 1990s

10. Water reform: how did it come to this? Poor government and failure of governance of water industry Government’s not prepared to adopt a “rational” approach to structural adjustment poor governance of water industry –need agreement of all states to achieve reform –CAP (1995) ignored issue of sleepers/ dozers and irrigation expanded 20% –No capacity to enforce breaches of the CAP –failure to put an effective “fire wall” between suppliers and purchasers of irrigation water –failure to invest in irrigation supply systems Drought and climate change the last straw

11. Water reform: moving forward Purchase of water entitlements makes sense, but must have a functioning market (unbundling incomplete in Vic) Infrastructure upgrades make sense and will cushion impacts of adjustment, but must ensure problems not repeated Acknowledge that urban water use is legitimate and that there have been inter-valley transfers in the past, but circumstances have changed and we: –probably need to take Adelaide “off the river” –diverting water from the Murray to Melbourne should be our last resort Confront the myth that we will “run out of food” in Australia Avoid temptation to view groundwater as a separate resource Consider opportunities to negotiate closure of irrigation districts

12. Changing social context in rural areas Era of rapid change in almost all regions Large turnover in property ownership Influx of new owners and non-farmers Most new owners come from outside district Many absentee owners

13. Why do we have these trends Kids less interested in farming and life in rural areas and attracted by opportunities for work, education and social life in cities Aged farmers approaching retirement Cost-price squeeze pushing amalgamation of properties Subdivision a way of unlocking asset values Cashed up retirees wanting to live in rural areas Internet allowing people to work from home Freeways and better roads Speculation in rural land Lax planning rules

14. New and longer-term owners Topic Corangamite 2006 New property owners (19%) Longer-term property owners (81%) Farmer as occupation23%61% Median area managed44 ha160 ha Median hours farm work16 hr/week40 hr/week Median days paid off-farm work/year 200 days/year0 days/year Make an on-property profit35%68% Member of Landcare24%37% Principal place of residence61%81% Median Age47 years57 years

15. “New people came and things changed” Rate base expanded New knowledge, skills and networks New enterprises Greater cultural diversity

16. Development of rural land in Indigo Shire One new house on a rural property each week for the past five years

17. Landscape values under threat?

18. Public safety compromised

19. People living in fire prone areas

20. Water harvesting

21. Infrastructure costs increased

22. Cultural heritage at risk?

23. What should we do? Establish and maintain a discrete urban-rural interface Invest in revitalising rural and regional centres as attractive, safe places to live In high value cultural landscapes, step in and purchase subdivisional rights Stand up to vested interests (farmers as well) Engage new owners in agriculture

24. Duty of care for biodiversity on private land

25. Why do we need one? Biodiversity is still declining Existing statutory legislation and regulation gives incomplete coverage to biodiversity

26. Common law duty of care Applies to people or property Requires reasonable care to be undertaken Requires foreseeable harm to be avoided Does not generally apply to biodiversity or the environment

27. Some known constraints Legal definitions Linguistic ambiguity Social acceptability

28. Linguistic ambiguity Duty of Care Moral basis Community standard Externally imposed Obligatory Enshrined in law Articulated, codified Specific Here and now Stewardship Moral basis Individual standard Internal, personal Voluntary Not enshrined in law May show in behaviour Worldly Forever

29. Social acceptability Wimmera & Corangamite regions Duty of care as a social norm (54% agree) Duty of care as a legally defined instrument (36% agree) Farmers stand out as an important segment of the community less supportive of duty of care

30. The assets-based approach to NRM Identify priority assets for investment of public funds to achieve NRM outcomes Assumed to be: more strategic provide more accountability more positive way to engage landholders Includes emphasis on direct purchase of outcomes by a focus on onground work

31. Challenging the assets-based approach Risk of managing assets independently of systems that supports them and life Provides excuse for limiting public expenditure on NRM (only need to invest in some assets) Disempowers/ excludes those without priority assets No evidence direct investment builds long-term commitment Evidence that investment in social and human capital leads to action and long-term commitment