How the change works
- 01 / Public decision
Transparent purchase of rights
- 02 / Physical change
Management of environmental flow rates
- 03 / Possible outcome
Water useful for ecosystems
Buying water rights can be a first step: the ecological benefit requires that water arrive in useful places and times.
Research and local documents ↓What the evidence tells us
The Australian strategic purchasing audit in Murray—Darling examines how the acquisitions were managed. It shows why purchasing rules, transparency and environmental objectives must be evaluated separately.
Putting the choices into practice
Accounting
The challengeNumber of licenses
The responseSeparate water rights and volumes
Delivery
The challengeWater only on paper
The responseWater delivered where needed
Outcome
The challengeSpending as a success
The responseEcosystem response
The diagram compares choices and conditions for putting them into practice. Measured outcomes and their limits are discussed in the evidence.
Research and local documents ↓Conditions and limits
A purchased license is not equivalent to a volume actually delivered to a wetland. Operational constraints, climate and flow management influence outcomes.
Other possible benefits
Recovery of river functions compatible with an assessment of the effects on communities.
Research and local documents
- Local project or policy documentAustralian National Audit Office · Strategic water purchasing ↗
Institutional documentation of the program, territory or rules mentioned.
