Applying Systems Thinking to Catchment Management

Participative planning processes are being used to examine and determine appropriate strategies for the Lachlan catchment in central NSW Australia. However the inter-related impacts of planning decisions are not easy to unravel. A systems simulation modelling tool is being developed to allow the exploration of alternative environments and strategies. This paper examines the adaptive approach and discusses one sub-system in the model. This subsystem deals with the socio-economic issues that may be impacted by planning decisions. The regional implications for the population living in the catchment in terms of existing and future infrastructure, and its likely viability under differing scenarios is the issue of interest for this sub-system.