The document discusses water resources and ecosystem services in Australia under the National Water Initiative. It summarizes that Australia has highly variable water flows between maximum and minimum annual flows compared to other countries. The National Water Initiative aims to reform water entitlements, enable water trading, and recognize ecosystem services and environmental needs. It advocates assessing water stress, trade-offs between environmental and consumptive water use, and using performance benchmarking to improve water management.

1. Australia’s water resources –
water security and ecosystem
services under the National
Water Initiative
Matt Kendall

2. National Water Commission’s
Symbol of Reconciliation
United hands by Mark Beanland

3. COUNTRY RIVER
RATIO BETWEEN THE
MAXIMUM and the
MINIMUM ANNUAL FLOWS
BRAZIL AMAZON 1.3
SWITZERLAND RHINE 1.9
CHINA YANGTZE 2.0
SUDAN WHITE NILE 2.4
USA POTOMAC 3.9
SOUTH AFRICA ORANGE 16.9
AUSTRALIA MURRAY 15.5
AUSTRALIA HUNTER 54.3
Water security issues for Australia
Source: Chartres C.J. & Williams J., 2006

4. ... of droughts and flooding rains
Last 10 years Last 12 months

5. Water use per capita
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, 2005

6. The National Water Initiative

7. Water entitlement reform

8. Water trading

9. • Ecosystems services are recognised in the
National Water Initiative via the term
‘environmental and other public benefit
outcomes’
• The NWI Policy Guidelines for Water
Planning advocate the ‘identification of key
environmental assets, and key ecosystem
services and functions to be protected, and
their water requirements’
The National Water Initiative &
ecosystem services

10. • Many public benefits are derived
from aquatic systems. It is
important that these are clearly
recognised to enable the
achievement of sustainable
water use & to avoid unintended
consequences
• An ecosystem services approach
provides a mechanism to be
more explicit about the links &
trade-offs that occur in decision-
making
http://archive.nwc.gov.au/library/waterlines/87

11. Assessing water stress in Australian water systems
• NWI requires that overused systems be returned to
sustainable levels of extraction
• But determining those levels can be challenging
• NWC continues to undertake work in this area
• E.g. http://nwc.gov.au/data/assets/pdf_file/0003/22935/Assessing-
water-stress-in-Australian-catchments-and-aquifers.pdf

12. Trade-offs between environmental and consumptive
benefits from the increasing use of water
BA
Water Stress
Environmental & ecosystem service benefits
Increasing Water Use
Consumptive benefits
B
e
n
e
f
i
t
C
As water use increases, consumptive benefits increase, but water stress increases
and ecosystem service benefits decline

13. Knowledge, Data and Information
If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it…
• Extensive efforts in data & information
collection since 2004
• Data collected by the states & territories,
some compiled at national level
• How efficiently & effectively is this
working?
• What is happening with water science?
• Is data collection infrastructure adequate?

14. • Key outcome of NWI requiring all
governments to report annually & publicly
on performance of rural & urban water
delivery agencies
• Large collection of time-series data
allows for analysis to support
comprehensive & effective risk
management systems
• Can be used to identify clear trends in
water management
National performance benchmarking
in the urban and rural water sectors

15. • 2011-12 report is available now at http://nwc.gov.au/publications/topic/national-
performance-reports/urban-2011-2012
• Produced jointly by NWC, state & territory governments & Water
Services Association of Australia
• Covers 80 utilities supplying 18.7 million Australians
• Reports on 150 indicators, with in depth analysis of 30 indicators
• Comprehensive time series data can be used for risk identification
& mitigation
Urban NPRs
Typical residential bill (based on average residential
water supplied), 2007-8 to 2011-12 ($)

16. • Water management shaped by scarce & variable supply
• Current reforms aim to ensure secure, efficient &
sustainable water supply for competing demands
• Understanding & valuing ecosystem services is essential
for business planning, decision-making & risk
management
• NWC continues to work on transparency & assessment
products to improve availability of information for
effective water management
Summary