Water, Drought and You

December 1 group members were treated to presentations about water from two renowned local experts.

Professor Max Finlayson, wetland ecologist and Director of the Institute for Land, Water and Society at Charles Sturt University, discussed the variability of water in southern Australian landscapes. He noted the agricultural importance of storing and using water, but also some environmental consequences of doing so. A copy of the presentation is available here

Max discussed climate variability and the potential impacts of climate change. The regional climate projections for the Murray region are available from the Office of Environment and Heritage

Environment and Heritage Murray-Murrumbidgee Climate Projections

The importance of water, and the potential for a drier local climate in the future are sobering. Rob Fenton showed us how water is managed on the National Environment Centre’s farm. The principles of their successful approach are building soil carbon, and creating surface roughness. Both slow the loss of water from the property, enabling it to be used in food production. Rob’s inspiring story suggests that with care and ingenuity we can have productive environments into the future.