Collaborative water management in the Ringarooma River catchment Tasmania, Australia

Sustainable resource use and agricultural production systems underpin Tasmania’s ‘clean green’ market advantage. To support this, 12 statutory water management plans have been adopted in Tasmania between 2003 and 2016. Rapid changes in the water management environment occurred concurrently with water planning, and were driven by expansion of irrigated agriculture, increased demand for water and new water markets. Strategic evaluations of the effectiveness of water planning (2003-2018) and identification of emerging risks and new opportunities have initiated a rethink of approaches to water management and planning in Tasmania. More effective collaborative approaches to water management and planning involving the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (the regulator), other water managers, stakeholders and scientists are now being undertaken.

The Ringarooma River catchment, north-east Tasmania (Australia) provides a useful case study that demonstrates how Tasmania’s water management environment is changing and how policy makers have responded to stakeholder’s concerns that local knowledge was not being adequately recognised or utilised. This paper outlines how the Ringarooma River Catchment Water Management Plan 2014 is enabling collaboration between community-based water managers, the regulator and scientists to support greater community participation in implementing water management strategies.