View article

A s discussed in the introduction to this book, in managing Australia’s water resources, emphasis has been placed on securing drinking water and water for primary industry. However, as Hone noted in Chapter 2, the extended drought conditions affecting many areas of Australia have caused substantial degradation of its river systems. In this context, social and cultural values associated with water are receiving more attention (Pigram 2006). This is partly due to the recognition that social issues will inevitably arise from trade-offs in water allocation and management, and that water planning needs to be integrated with other natural resource management objectives (Hussey and Dovers 2007). Establishing some sort of balance between water allocation for industry, protection of drinking water quality, and access for tourism and recreational activities is emerging as a significant issue in the governance and …