The process of learning in social-ecological systems is an emerging area of research, but little attention has been given to how social and ecological interactions motivate or inhibit learning. This is highly relevant to the South African water sector, where a major policy transition is occurring that provides local water users and managers with new opportunities to engage in adaptive learning ...

Wetlands in the arid western United States provide rare and critical migratory bird habitat and constitute a critical nexus within larger social-ecological systems (SES) where multiple changing land-use and water-use patterns meet. The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah, USA, presents a case study of the ways that wetland managers have created adaptive management strategies that are respo...

Desalination of seawater, brackish water, and reclaimed water is increasingly utilized worldwide to augment and diversify fresh water sources. The lack of economically and ecologically feasible concentrate management options, however, is a major barrier to widespread implementation of desalination, in particular at inland sites. This paper critically reviews strategies and technologies for conc...

This paper describes recent experience with integrated resource planning (IRP) and the application of least cost planning (LCP) for the evaluation of demand management strategies in urban water. Two Australian case studies, Sydney and Northern New South Wales (NSW) are used in illustration. LCP can determine the most cost effective means of providing water services or alternatively the cheapest...

abstract recharge of aquifers by using wastewater, is one of the important and applicable ways for reusing this valuable water resource, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. as the necessity of local practices for finding the proper management strategies and optimum use of recharge systems (conforming to climate, soil, etc.), a preliminary study was carried out. three physical models were ...

Traditionally, surface and ground water resources have been managed as separate resources in Australia, with the result that interactions between the two components have not been duly considered in the development of management strategies. A more integrated approach is required to evaluate the impacts of groundwater extraction on streamflow regime, and eliminate the potential for over-allocatio...