Community of Practice for Environmental Water Managers

On 22nd and 23rd of July, Melbourne hosted a workshop for practitioners active in the field of environmental water management. The objective of the workshop was to discuss and develop a community of practice, enabling practitioners to network, collaborate, collectively problem-solve and enhance professional standing overall.

Around 70 participants took part in the two-day workshop, which resolved to commit to the ongoing development of a community of practice (or CoP), which is currently being facilitated by the Australian Water Association with funding from the National Water Commission. Over time it is intended that the Community itself will lead the development of the initiative.

It is hoped that ultimately, it will become self-sustaining, convened by Community members themselves.

About the Community of Practice

The Community is intended to bring together Environmental Water Managers, which is defined as those individuals who have responsibility for making decisions with regard to environmental water management under the National Water Initiative. The Community will be designed for those with direct decision-making responsibility for environmental water holdings and releases and those who set the broader policy directions for environmental water, and could include researchers working directly in the field. Under the National Water Initiative, environmental water managers are accountable for the management of environmental water and the achievement of environmental and other public-benefit outcomes within the catchment for which they are responsible. This workshop was convened, in part, to outline the concept of a Community of Practice and, more importantly, to allow participants to help design a community for themselves that best supports them in their roles. The workshop was addressed by the CEO Ken Matthews, and Commission staff explained the Community of Practice idea within the context of the National Water Initiative.

The need for a Community of Practice was identified by the National Water Commission as part of their review of water management practices across jurisdictions. The 2007 Biennial Assessment of progress under the National Water Initiative, and the 2008 update, both concluded that environmental water managers had not been fully established or resourced, and that too often they lacked clear identity, authority and sufficient financial and technical capacity to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

To help environmental water managers obtain the necessary identity and skills, the Commission has provided funding to support the establishment of a Community, and the Australian Water Association is undertaking this work on behalf of the Commission.

Outcomes from the Workshop

Through discussion over the two days, the pressing issues in environmental water management were articulated, providing practitioners with an opportunity to chance to understand how the development of a community of practice could help in their resolution. Key issues related to how to manage EWM in times of scarcity and climate change, how to use monitoring to more effectively improve EWM and how to communicate benefits of EWM to community to get their support. These issues have clear implications for water planners who face similar challenges for water allocation generally. The Australian Water Association is currently preparing a summary of the event and key decisions, which will also be available on the COP website.

For more information

More information about the Community of Practice is available on the project website here, or by contacting the CoP Project Manager, Andrew Speers at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you are interested in becoming a member of the Community, you can apply online to have your application assessed.