Property right effects on the adaptive management of Australian water

Adaptive management is increasingly proclaimed as a key principle underlying the management of a range of natural resources, including water, within jurisdictions across Australia. However, it is often inferred that there is a potential conflict between the use of adaptive management principles and the economically efficient use of water resources. The National Water Initiative has again raised these issues following the inclusion of perpetual property rights for water in certain circumstances. This article examines the literature on adaptive management theory, and explores the extent to which the principles of adaptive management are consistent with the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) intentions regarding water property rights, as a means of improving the economic efficiency of water use. The article concludes that, counter-intuitively, some elements of the strengthening of water property rights may be conducive to adaptive management of Australia's water resources. However, significant challenges remain in both the refinement of water rights and altering the resource management philosophy to accord with all elements of adaptive management.