Professor Paul Martin
UNE Law School has recognised Professor, Paul Martin's leadership and involvement in the pioneering Water in the Landscape Initiative (WILI), which launched in Tamworth last month.
WILI is a deeply collaborative arrangement to better manage sub-surface and surface water in the Upper Namoi catchment. The initiative has the backing of technical and policy researchers from UNE, Tamworth Regional Council and other councils in the region, Landcare and other community groups forming WILI’s interim steering committee. Central to the approach is the idea that the university will work 'with and for' the community in better managing water in our landscape.
Professor Martin Thoms, a UNE Professor of Physical Geography and one of the project’s initiators, notes that the region is "likely to face more acute water shortages as global temperatures rise."
WILI’s goal is to help landholders and water managers understand how to manage water in their landscapes better, educate communities about water policy, and create transferable models for rehydrating landscapes. The initiative aims to develop short courses that can be rolled out across the region, guided by what communities want.
Professor Martin points out that there are a great many law and policy issues involved in this work, including the Murray Darling Basin Plan, water law and administration, biodiversity protection, urban water management, and many other issues. The AgLaw Centre has been a pioneer in community engaged law and policy research and brings this expertise to the WILI arena.
Earlier this year, UNE Professors Paul Martin and Martin Thoms and co-authors Jason Alexandra and Cameron Holley published an article in the Australasian Journal of Water Resources titled ‘Murray-Darling Basin Plan mark II. What should stakeholders plan for?’, which indicated significant issues of water policy. It is expected that WILI’s work in the Upper Namoi could serve as a model for the entire contested Murray-Darling Basin.
UNE is offering a PhD scholarship to a researcher who engages with the initiative. The WILI, with its focus on the integrated management of “water in the landscape,” represents an innovative approach to water management that could have far-reaching effects beyond the Upper Namoi catchment.
This initiative is significant to the region and a great achievement for everyone involved.
