A framework for achieving multiple benefits | Environment Victoria

A framework for achieving multiple benefits

CSIRO carried out a pilot study in the TIA to investigate the potential for targeted investment in reconfiguration and water purchases to provide multiple benefits. These benefits include increasing the value of agricultural production and ecosystem services, and reducing water delivery costs and salinity loads. The study concluded that irrigated land use in the area could be reconfigured using the ‘Traffic Light Concept’ into three planning zones based on soil, environmental and location characteristics. Different water investment strategies would be applied in each zone:

• Green – Sustainable Irrigation: Priority locations for investment in irrigation infrastructure modernisation and efficient water delivery. Low priority for water purchases unless they provide particularly low cost water;
• Amber – Environment and Amenity: Priority locations for investment in rural amenity and ecological restoration. Encourage change in land use from irrigation to biodiversity and carbon plantings. High priority for water purchases based on potential for water delivery cost savings, public good environmental and salinity benefits;
• Red – New Dryland: Priority locations for investment in new dryland farming. High priority locations for water purchases. (39)

See Figure 2 for the "Traffic Light' Decision-making Framework

The environmental and economic benefits that can be achieved by using this reconfiguration design in the TIA are significant:

• 20 percent of the water used for irrigation can be returned to the environment – approx. 60GL
• Water delivery infrastructure operation, maintenance and replacement cost savings in the order of 40 percent
• Agricultural profitability could increase by 24 percent
• Cessation of irrigation in the ‘red’ zones would reduce salinity measured at Morgan (the key reference point) by up to 13EC. This equates to a cost saving of more than $50 million over 30 years in salinity mitigation.
• Over 10 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents sequestered annually by encouraging planting in the ‘amber’ zones. (40)

The study shows that if the same volume of water is allowed to leave the district in an unplanned way, these benefits will be lost and the value of agricultural production will decline rather than increase.

See Figure 3. Landscape-scale irrigation reconfiguration in the Torrumbarry Irrigation District (41)

NVIRP has undertaken a Targeted Transition Project Case Study on the 5/7 channel in the TIA to investigate the processes involved in retiring irrigation areas, creating environmental benefits and supporting landowners to move away from irrigated agriculture with dignity.

The CSIRO traffic lights approach has been used by NVIRP as an input to establishing the zones for exemption from the 4% limit on water trade. The exemption zones give effect to the Victoria-Commonwealth agreement to allow trade out of irrigation areas to the Commonwealth where it complements the modernisation program. (42) However the exemption zones depend heavily on the design of the modernised backbone which was determined before the traffic lights approach was devised, and do not necessarily allow for the whole range of benefits envisaged by CSIRO.

The willingness of the community to accept and undertake change will depend in part on government commitment to appropriately targeted support for adjustment. The Victorian Government is yet to spell out how its various programs and funding streams (outlined in Section 3) can be harnessed to drive positive, community-owned change in northern Victoria.

Question for discussion:

What is the best way to drive multiple benefits for communities and the environment?

References

(39) Crossman, N, Connor, J, Bryan, B, Summers, D and J. Ginnivan (2009) Reconfiguring an irrigation landscape to improve provision of ecosystem services, Socio-Economics and the Environment in Discussion, CSIRO Working Paper Series 2009-07, CSIRO Available at http://www.csiro.au/files/files/pqha.pdf [Accessed 1 July 2009]

(40) Irrigation reconfiguration and modernisation. Landscape-scale investment planning for multiple benefits. Summary. Source: Goulburn-Murray Water, June 2009

(41) Crossman, N, Connor, J, Bryan, B, Summers, D and J. Ginnivan (2009) Reconfiguring an irrigation landscape to improve provision of ecosystem services, Socio-Economics and the Environment in Discussion, CSIRO Working Paper Series 2009-07, CSIRO

(42) http://www.nvirp.com.au/downloads/Communications/4_Exemption_Fact_Sheet_FINAL.pdf