WATER management students from Nepal, Mexico, Chile, Peru, India and the United States have gathered in Mandurah to study the Peel-Harvey region.
The students are completing their Masters in Integrated Water Management via the International Water Centre in Brisbane, and will take the learnings from their field trips back home.
At the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, students viewed the Lake Mealup case study which demonstrated how effective community engagement and partnerships resulted in the successful recovery of Lake Mealup, which is a part of the Peel-Yalgorup Ramsar system.
Institute of Agriculture UWA Professor Mark Rivers co-ordinated the field trip with the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council’s senior project officer Kim Wilson.
“The field trip was about showcasing the Peel-Harvey catchment and in particular the work the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council have done towards community engagement and social capital in addressing the issues affecting the catchment,” Professor Rivers said.
Masters student and agricultural engineer Jose Astete is from Lima, Peru and said it was fascinating to learn how the local issues on integrated water management had been addressed.
“It has been very interesting to learn of the natural resource management techniques that Peel-Harvey Catchment Council and their project partners have used to restore the wetlands like diverting water into the lake, controlling the typha weed, improving the PH balance and restoring the riparian links,” Jose Astete said.
The International Water Centre is a collaboration between the University of Queensland University of WA, Monash and Griffith, and the integrated water management module focuses on connecting water and agricultural landscapes.
During the study tour of the Peel Harvey area, the students were also addressed by representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Harvey Water and the Wagerup Agricultural College.
