Abstract
This research aims to improve decision-making about water resource planning through incorporation of values and interests in a consensus-building approach. An adaptation of the photovoice methodology was used to uncover the values and interests of 67 stakeholders participating in two State government water resource planning processes, in the Lockyer valley and the Lower Balonne catchment in Queensland Australia. Both case study regions are economically dominated by irrigated agriculture, show signs of stressed water resources due to overextraction and have experienced conflict between key stakeholder groups. In the Lockyer catchment, values and interests expressed by irrigators were predominantly about livelihood, stewardship to maintain the water resource, self-sufficiency, distributional justice and sense of community - well-captured by the triple bottom line concept of social, economic and environmental sustainability. This contrasted with those of non-irrigators with their recognition of the need for balance between production and environment, and an emphasis on improving environmental health and amenity. Consensus-based techniques used in planning meetings assisted each party to understand others' values and interests, identify common ground, explore options and agree on a pathway towards sustainable use of groundwater. The consensus approach led to examination of the need for trade-offs between self-interest and community benefit. In negotiations with government, the irrigators' need for control over their destiny led to agreement to co-management of water on a sub-catchment basis within the context of broader government regulation. In the Lower Balonne, irrigators' values and interests in private benefit contrasted with graziers' more integrated values of environmental, economic, and social sustainability. A perceived lack of government attention to procedural and distributional fairness values and to the interests of downstream stakeholders (mostly graziers) led to an escalation of conflict and a grazier boycott of the water planning process. As a result, it was not feasible to carry out the proposed consensus-based approach within this case study. This research has contributed to the theory and body of knowledge on water and other natural resource management (NRM) planning by showing how consensus building techniques can be used in a water planning process. In particular, the photovoice interviews were an original method for exploring interests at a conflict assessment stage. This work has also contributed significantly to methodological approaches for eliciting and sharing values and interests about water through the use of photovoice in interviews and group discussions. The work has extended the knowledge about the range of values and interests that stakeholders have about water. It has resulted in practical outcomes in managing water conflict in one case study and recommendations for a way forward in the other. It has potential for application in other NRM multiple party planning processes.