The National Water Commission is busy sharing the knowledge derived from their research programs. Here are six reports released late last year that you may be interested in:
Water for Australia’s Arid Zone – Summarises the main findings from investigations at five regional demonstration sites and outlines the process involved in developing the new thematic palaeovalley map of arid and semi-arid Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
National-scale vulnerability assessment of seawater intrusion – Identifies several opportunities to progress and develop effective resource management and protection of Australia’s coastal aquifers through additional monitoring, research, stakeholder education and communication.
Recognising the broader benefits of aquatic systems in water planning: an ecosystem services approach – Encourages a more comprehensive, systematic and transparent consideration of the multiple benefits of aquatic systems in water planning.
Three groundwater reports—the final publications in the Waterlines series—illustrated that given their value and criticality, our groundwater resources warrant greater investment in monitoring and management to support sustainable management:
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| A new database is bringing together freshwater fish information from a range of sources to help fisheries managers to better understand changes in our local fisheries. The database is an initiative of Fisheries Queensland, in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection’s Queensland Wetlands Program.Fisheries Queensland project manager Dr Zafer Sarac said a vast amount of freshwater fish data was available across Queensland, but it was in different formats held by different groups, and it was difficult to get a clear picture.“The database project has identified the lack of consolidated freshwater fish data, and is working toward closing this gap,” said Dr Sarac.“As part of the three-year project, the project partners have put out a call to other organisations and individuals to contribute their freshwater fish data.
“As at April 2012, data on about 10,000 individual fish entries from the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin had been gathered by Fisheries Queensland, including information on the morphology of the fish, details of the water and the catchment in which they are caught, and the capturing techniques.
“This data is allowing us to build an overall picture of freshwater fish species’ distribution and their abundance in Queensland’s freshwater wetlands.
“At present the freshwater fish database has grown to a staggering 120,000 entries and we hope to collect many more.
“With
this information we will be able to assist landholders, environmental managers, fishing groups, scientists and policy makers make more accurate decisions on research, development, management and protection of our freshwater resources.
“The information in the database could contribute to the protection of important fish habitats, help identify areas to target for pest eradication, or recognise areas for future rehabilitation projects.”
The central database will be available for use online in 2013.
To contribute your data to the freshwater fish database or for further information, contact Dr Zafer Sarac on Zafer.Sarac@daff.qld.gov.au.
For more information on freshwater fishing in Queensland, visit www.fisheries.qld.gov.au or call 13 25 23. Fisheries information is also available via Twitter @fisheriesQLD or follow Fisheries Queensland on Facebook. |
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Definition: a value network is a set of roles and interactions that generates a specific business, economic or social good.
By this definition any group of people engaged in a purposeful activity can be understood as a ‘value network’. Creating value requires more than simple social connections. Social networks are connections of people who share an interest or affiliation, but they are not organized to get something done. When people want to accomplish something together they organize their work together in a role-based, purposeful network – and this is what we refer to as a value network. I believe that everyone involved with the ARRC is part of our value network, and it is important each of us understand the networks we are part of and the values we hold.
Verna Allee with Oliver Schwabe have written a book focusing on value networks and their importance for collaboration. There is also a website with a lot of information about the approach – I encourage anyone with an interest in this topic to take some time going through the website as it provides insight and resources to assist us as we try to understand values to inspire and encourage collaborative action.
Siwan (with thanks to Jacqui Thorburn for passing on this link)
Also if you
want to watch a brilliant TED talk on the value of networks follow this link to view Nicholas Christakis talk about networks, obesity, happiness and our need for social connection.
What on earth is the Organizational Zoo I hear you ask – well, this well researched and developed set of metaphors created by my friend Arthur Shelley, enables you and your organisation to enhance performance and reduce stress. Each animal or plant in the ‘zoo’ represents intuitively recognisable behavioural styles commonly encountered in organisations and social settings. By developing an understanding of the animals and how they interact, you will learn to how to behave in ways that secures the optimal outcomes for all parties.
I have used the Organizational Zoo in workshops to get great conversations going about organisational culture and supported (and unsupported) behaviours. It is a great technique and one that we at the ARRC are committed to sharing more widely in the NRM sector.
Zoo Philosophy highlights that modern organisations are like zoos: they are unnatural environments where animals not naturally associated with each other are clustered into small cages and forced to interact, sometimes against their will. This unnatural environment causes
stress that can lead to difficult situations and generate a negative and political culture.
The Organizational Zoo metaphor can relieve these stresses by providing a different perspective and a fun way to build relationships and generate positive change. Years of research and practice on these natural (animal and plant) metaphors, has shown that they can be used to enhance the performance of individuals, teams and organisations. The methods are simple and intuitive for workshop participants when delivered by a trained Organizational Zoo Ambassador (like Siwan and Nerida at the ARRC!).
We are now partners with the Organizational Zoo and will be running workshops next year using these techniques, so stay in touch with our blog and also visit the Zoo website for more information.
Siwan
The Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network has released the new TERN Data Discovery Portal (TDDP) – datasets include freshwater and estuarine systems, as well as plants, animals, terrestrial, coasts etc.. It is a fabulous resource and one well worth adding to your list of
‘favourites’.
For the first time, the TDDP allows users to search for and explore data generated by a wide range of ecosystem disciplines, from a single point of entry. Metadata is regularly harvested from all across TERN into the TDDP, enabling it to play a novel integrative role for Australian ecosystem science. The portal supports both text and map-based searches, and users can search for metadata records based on regional classifications including states/territories, the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA), natural resource management zones and climate zones. Once suitable metadata is located users are directed to the data set to download from the relevant TERN Facility portal. (TERN Director Tim Clancy)
To take a look at the TERN Data Discovery Portal follow this link.
Information and knowledge management, Research | Siwan Lovett | 
28 February 2013 10:13 am | 
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