Thinking in systems about integrated water management – A case study (#204)
Megan Holcomb
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,
Himanthi Mendis
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- Mott MacDonald, Brisbane, QUEENSLAND, Australia
- Why did you do it? We wanted to work with decision makers to create a connected framework that communicates the complexity of integrated water management systems and enables better understanding of management objectives and benefits for the entire water system.
- What did you do? – Mott MacDonald has pioneered the application of participatory system mapping (PSM) coupled with quantitative modelling. PSM brings stakeholders together from multiple water agencies to work toward agreement on common objectives, connect issues, identify potential unintended consequences, and highlight opportunities to cooperate via funding or policy. Completed system maps are used to inform quantitative modelling, which helps to validate policy decisions, interventions, and risks.
- What have you learned? –Organisations within the same region plan across different time horizons and use several types of models for their individual system, which makes it challenging to compare results and assess co-benefits. In addition, different agency plans may be targeted at single issues such as water resources, flooding and water quality separately, rather than integrated holistically. The system mapping process is a tool which we have successfully applied to allow water agencies to transcend their jurisdictional boundaries and work together. This approach has allowed co-learning and co-investment opportunities, which would have otherwise gone unseen and unrealised.
- Why does it matter? – Systems thinking coupled with quantitative modelling provides a flexible way to represent key physical and infrastructure elements on multiple scales: urban, rural, catchment, and otherwise. This approach can be applied more widely to inform catchment and water planning and achieve outcomes that are more resilient, adaptive, and interconnected across jurisdictional boundaries.
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