A joint water research group including the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA) and the University of Western Australia (UWA) through the institute Agriculture Research Western Australia (ARWA) was established yesterday.
The establishment of The Ecohydrology Research Group was yesterday announced by Agriculture and Food Minister Kim Chance.
"Improved farm water and nutrient management is a key issue in the State's water strategy, salinity strategy and sustainability strategy," Mr Chance said.
"This unit at UWA presents greater opportunities for collaborative research and will aid the development of an applied approach to graduate and post graduate education and training programs which will deliver people with skills tailored to the needs of both the Government and private sectors."
Research will focus on the themes of optimising the use of water as a resource; integrating and balancing environmental and human water/nutrient requirements; and evaluating the downstream impacts of agriculture and related land use.
"Feedback from industry, government policy, and the monitoring of resource condition from productivity and environmental perspectives will drive the research," the Minister said.
"The research unit will liaise with DAFWA regional and industry programs and other clients to ensure research outcomes are delivered to the people who need the information."
Research undertaken by DAFWA's Integrated Water and Nutrient Management (IWNM) project and the research conducted by UWA's School of Environmental Systems Engineering and School of Computer Science and Software Engineering, and the Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management (Albany) will form the basis for the Ecohydrology Research Group.
Scientists from Murdoch, Edith Cowan and Curtin Universities, the CSIRO and other organisations will be involved in collaborative research projects.
"A coordinated and cooperative approach to research will deliver better results which will help manage Western Australia's magnificent environment while allowing growers and landowners to work more efficiently and in a sustainable way," Mr Chance said.
