WHERE ARE WE HEADING IN CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT?

摘要

Catchment management is a complex and multi-faceted field, encompassing a wide range of issues associated with interactions between water, land use and human activities within landscapes. Goals can include managing catchments for the supply of drinking water, waterway health and biodiversity outcomes, and human wellbeing (e.g. social and economic values). It is a challenging field because it cuts across multiple disciplines and sectors, and involves a range of different perspectives. Fundamentally, it seeks to address a range of complex issues related to the management of water and natural resources, which many organisations and individuals contribute to and are impacted by, but typically no single organisation has responsibility or power to address on their own. The field of catchment management has been evolving over decades, and in this article we provide a brief snapshot of some key trends that have emerged in recent years. In doing so, we aim to broaden appreciation for catchment management within the water industry, and to encourage a deeper appreciation of its relevance, complexity and connectivity with all aspects of the water cycle.