Developing catchment-scale expertise
Griffith University is a top-ranked Australian university for natural and physical sciences research and teaching. Water management and whole of water cycle approaches to research and teaching are part of the interdisciplinary School of Environment and Science, including Queensland's only (and Australia's first) professionally accredited Environmental Science degree. Students are provided with catchment-scale expertise to prepare them for real world water management challenges through specific water-related qualifications. World-class research in water and coastal management is conducted through the Australian Rivers Institute and the International WaterCentre.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is committed to ensuring clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, and the preservation of marine life, working towards a sustainable and environmentally responsible future.
Off-campus water conservation support
Through Griffith’s research activities, Griffith University provides a number of off-campus water conservation support programs, including support for local, rural, and international communities.
Read about some of our case studies below.
Griffith’s International WaterCentre is leading the Water for Women funded research project ‘Pacific Community Water Management Plus’. This project was established in 2019, is ongoing throughout 2023 and 2024, and is exploring how Civil Society Organisations ( CSOs) and governments can better enable rural community water management and conservation in the Pacific to improve SDG 6 outcomes, using community water management plus practices. In Fiji, this project has created practical guides for government, civil society and other actors designing programs or activities to address water security challenges experienced by rural Fijian communities. Throughout 2023 and 2024, the projects has focused on supporting water conservation behavioural change programs to promote water conservation behaviours by everyone in communities. These guides are supported by education videos entitled ‘Water Conservation is Everyone’s Business’.
PACWAM Water Conservation Guide Water Conservation is Everyone's Business
Throughout 2023-2024, the International WaterCentre implemented a behaviour change campaign with community members in Vanuatu to support rainwater tank use in rural communities, creating water conservation behaviours and practices. Rainwater provides one of the main drinking water supplies for households in rural Pacific communities. Recent research showed that over 80% of surveyed villages reported their water tanks becoming empty or very low in the dry season, and over 70% of tanks tested on some islands had presence of bacterial indicators (poor water quality).
This project was funded by World Vision Australia, World Vision Vanuatu, and the Australian Government’s Water for Women Fund. The campaign was designed to encourage and foster improved maintenance, operation, and management behaviours that ensure the safe and secure capture, handling, storage, and use of rainwater for drinking purposes across the entire service chain – “From roof to mouth”.
Currently, only three types of wetlands are considered Blue Carbon ecosystems: mangroves, saltmarsh and seagrass.
However, other tidal wetlands also comply with the characteristics of what is considered Blue Carbon, such as tidal freshwater wetlands, transitional forests and brackish marshes.
In a new study, based on work completed in 2023 and 2024, scientists from Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, South Africa, Vietnam, the US and Mexico have highlighted the increasing opportunities for Blue Carbon projects for the conservation, restoration and improved management of highly threatened wetlands.
Led by Griffith University’s Dr Fernanda Adame Vivanco, from the Australian Rivers Institute, the team compiled information on the biophysical characteristics of various tidal wetlands and their managing potential, and concluded that all wetlands below the highest astronomical tide, directly or indirectly influenced by tides, should be classified as blue carbon ecosystems.
A new Griffith-led study has developed a framework to operationalise global ‘theories of change’, coordinating local and global actions to secure a future where humans live in harmony with nature.
Published in Nature Sustainability, the research translates global-scale theories of change, into tangible steps for conservation of ecosystems. These steps take account of the economic and political conditions in each nation to ensure conservation actions have the best chance of working.
Global theories of change provide broad, overarching guidance for the conservation and sustainable use of Earth’s ecosystems, including water conservation, but they don’t inform how conservation actions will lead to benefits for society and ecosystems. A robust theory of change must consider the social, economic and political factors that allow actions to be successfully implemented – known as ‘enabling conditions’.
In their research, Dr Christina Buelow, a Research Fellow at the Australian Rivers Institute, and colleagues outline a three-step framework for applying global theories of change like the KM-GBF.
The interactive web app, designed by the team, can be used to explore national blue carbon status and ultimately generate regional enabling profiles to inform localised theories of change that underpin National Biodiversity and Strategy Action Plans.
Coordinating actions across nations will be key to achieving conservation and biodiversity targets like that set out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Promoting conscious water usage in the wider community
Through its research partnerships, Griffith University works with both urban and regional communities to guide and build pathways of change that enable resilience to various water-induced natural and social pressures, such as floods and catchment activities. These activities include the promotion of conscious water usage in these communities through campaigns, events and co-design research.
Read about some of our case studies below.
The iKnow, weKnow project is collaboratively creating a toolbox of innovative, community-based approaches for water and energy management and conscious water usage in remote Australia. The co-designing of a resilient water and energy toolbox for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities project is a three-year project (2023-2026) funded by project partners in Queensland, Western Australia, Northern Territory and an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage grant. The name iKnow, weKnow represents the combination of Indigenous knowledge, technical water and energy expertise, and digital technologies. It emphasises inclusivity, transitioning from individual behaviours to collective action to promote water conscious behaviours and ensure water and energy security in a climate-changed future remote and isolated communities in Australia, thus transforming water and energy use practices. The project is being conducted in four communities – Djarindjin (Western Australia), Atitjere (Northern Territory), Mapoon and Warraber (Queensland).
Healthy Land and Water (HLW) is a peak environmental non-government organisation for South East Queensland. For over 20 years, HLW has been dedicated to investing in and leading initiatives to build the prosperity, liveability, and sustainability of our region.
Griffith University partners with HLW to provide community-focused projects to improve water management, including the promotion of conscious water usage, and biodiversity conservation. Griffith University academics contribute to HLW scientific and advisory committees to deliver meaningful environmental outcomes for South East Queensland communities through partnerships and science-led solutions
Education programmes on fresh-water ecosystems
Griffith University provides educational opportunities for students and communities, locally and nationally, through a range of specific water-related qualifications, off-the-shelf or custom-designed short courses, and community events and outreach. These initiatives include topics including fresh-water ecosystems, water management, water irrigation practices, and catchment and soil sciences. They are designed specifically for local and national communities, including practitioners, community members and leaders, government, non-government organisations or civil society organisations, businesses and students.
Read about some of our educational case studies below.
The fact that the Gulf of Carpentaria region is seen as one of Australia’s iconic, pristine natural environments, full of wildlife and natural wonders, can lead to complacency when it comes to monitoring the health of these ecosystems over time making them particularly vulnerable.
A 2022-2024 collaboration between Griffith University and the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation ( CLCAC ) is helping to overcome this complacency. This is being achieved through the development and implementation of an educational program on freshwater ecosystems. As part of this program, Traditional Owners are being trained to take the lead monitoring and safeguarding fresh and marine waterways in the Gulf of Carpentaria region, thus promoting good aquatic stewardship.
Aquatic systems, such as wetlands, lakes, rivers and streams, groundwater seeps and estuaries can suffer from water quality problems, both natural and manmade, which impact drinking water supplies, and the animals and plants that live in these systems. There is also increasing pressure from water development, which can impact on waterway productivity and health.
Traditional owners have lived in northern Australia for tens of thousands of years and have a deep knowledge and connection to these aquatic systems, and a desire to protect them.
In the southern Gulf of Carpentaria lands, the CLCAC undertake ranger programs support the aquatic health of the lands and waters. Their program now includes water quality monitoring in both marine and freshwater lakes, wetlands, rivers and estuaries, thanks to a collaboration CLCAC initiated with Griffith University researchers.
This educational program involved developing a monitoring program tailored for each ranger group and identification of sites either of particular significance and/or where there is concern about water quality. Throughout 2023 three ranger groups conducted their own regular monitoring of the region, with an additional group trained in 2024.
Griffith University provides a number of educational short course programs, both professional development and training programs and outreach and engagement events and workshops.
The International WaterCentre’s short courses include the following thematic areas:
- water leadership
- water-resilient communities and catchments (including freshwater ecosystems)
- water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the water cycle
- water management, conservation, governance and finance
Our outreach and engagement activities include free and paid: webinars, workshops, field trips and seminars promote fresh-water ecosystems (water irrigation practices, water management/conservation) for local or national communities.
Our outreach, education and engagement activities are targeted at community leaders and practitioners. Activities were ongoing throughout 2023 and 2024.
The QWMN is improving the state’s capacity to model its surface and groundwater resources and their quality, by providing the tools, information and collaborative platforms to support best-practice use of water models, and the uptake of their results by policy makers, community members and natural resource managers. The engagement program of the Community of Practice is designed to help develop and support programmes and incentives that encourage and maintain good aquatic stewardship practices. Water models are developed and used in Queensland to inform decision making across a range of water policy, planning and management issues, including, but not limited to, water resource planning, groundwater impact assessment, flood risk management and Great Barrier Reef water quality improvement. The purpose of the QWMN is to build the capacity and collaboration in the Queensland water modelling sector, to fill strategic sectoral gaps are strengthen the sector. Throughout 2024, QWMN outreached to community, practitioners, government, academic, and business sector stakeholders and included all parts of the catchment in water management and conservation through workshops and events.
Thailand faces challenges with managing water quality in many of its reservoirs due to pressure from agricultural, domestic, and industrial pollution coupled with urbanisation, increasing demand and climate change. The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) joined Australian experts in 2024 to gain knowledge and strategies to monitor, prevent and decrease water quality impacts as part of an educational programme to increase capacity in sustainable water irrigation practices to support conservation of aquatic ecosystems.
Through the program, knowledge was exchanged on the experiences and standard methodologies of reservoir water quality management between Australian partners and the RID Water Quality team. A manual for implementation strategies and guidelines on reservoir water quality monitoring, and eutrophication prevention and mitigation in Thailand was delivered at the conclusion of Phase I. Phase II of this project focused on consolidating the learnings from Phase I and assessing the Reservoir Water Quality Monitoring Manual developed during the first phase in Kraseaw Reservoir.
Learnings on the application of the manual were demonstrated to regional RID Staff in Central Regional Offices. Staff from other regions were invited to join.
The 2024 water utility of the future short course included 27 participants from a range of backgrounds working across Indonesian ministries and in strategy planning and financing of water and wastewater infrastructure and services. This educational programme saw professionals delve into various topics on water management of fresh-water ecosystems at both local and national levels.
Participants joined the course leaders, Associate Professor Brian McIntosh and Bronwyn Powell, and attended presentations by experts in water management, water conservation, water reform, water investment and financing, water tariff setting and price regulation, water policy, utility strategic asset planning, digitisation, workforce planning and performance benchmarking. They also learnt about circular economy approaches for water including water recycling, biochar production and biogas to grid production, planning for climate change impacts and addressing gender equality, disability and inclusion (GEDSI).
Educational programmes and outreach for the sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism
Griffith University offers educational programmes and outreach for local and national communities, including practitioners, on sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism through its research and partnerships.
Read about some of our educational programmes and community outreach case studies below.
Building on Dr Ryan Heneghan's 2020 to 2024 work, including his outreach to local and national communities on the sustainable management of fisheries, his new Discovery Early Career Researcher Award project (awarded in 2024) involves working with local and national communities to explore the potential of climate-adaptive sustainable fisheries management, delivering advanced tools for intelligent, strategic management approaches that adapt fisheries planning to counteract the impacts of climate change on fish production and thus promote the sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture. By uncovering the potential of climate-adaptive fisheries, this project supports communities and policymakers plan for resilient, environmentally responsible seafood production, ensuring that marine resources are managed sustainably to maintain healthy ecosystems and reliable food supplies for tourism-dependent regions, thus supporting Australia’s role as a leader in marine management practice across the Asia-Pacific.
Feeding 10 billion people by 2050 will require increasing reliance on a sustainable supply of food from the sea. Yet, the world’s ocean ecosystems are already experiencing growing, immense pressure from the effects of both climate change and overfishing, thus jeopardising future food supplies as crucial ecosystems suffer and fail. New approaches to managing these interacting, global-scale stressors are urgently needed. Dr Heneghan’s work is thus critically important to addressing these challenges and working with communities, locally and nationally, to sustainably manage fisheries and aquaculture.
By uncovering the potential of climate-adaptive fisheries, this project will better enable Australia—and countries in our region most susceptible to climate change—to sustainably plan their future food security, supporting Australia’s role as a leader in marine management practice across the Asia-Pacific.
Freshwater Ecology (SIP)
Freshwater ecology is important for fisheries because fish are a key part of the ecosystem, and their populations depend on the health of the environment, including factors like water quality, habitat, and flow. Understanding ecological principles is crucial for maintaining healthy fisheries, as changes in the ecosystem can have significant impacts on fish abundance, health, and the ability to fish sustainably.
Overview
It describes the concepts of: interactions and relationships between abiotic and biotic factors, feeding relationships, impacts of introduced species plus the importance of water quality and monitoring strategies.
During the program students will analyse and interpret abiotic and biotic information gathered from Mimosa Creek (Bulimba Creek Catchment). Monitoring strategies will include dip netting for macro-invertebrates, identifying macro-invertebrates and introduced species with microscopes, sensitivity scores, utilising a horiba data logger (pH, conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, water temperature) plus chemical testing strips to detect phosphates and nitrates. Students will then compare this data to a sample of water collected from Stable Swamp Creek (Oxley Creek Catchment).
In concluding, students will evaluate the information collected throughout the day, including the feeding relationships and impact of introduced species, before justifying their water quality score and the overall health of both waterways.
This content maps to a provided sample assessment which may be used by teachers at your discretion.
Freshwater Ecosystems has been assessed as medium risk. A Curriculum Activity Risk Assessment is available on request.
Curriculum Intent
Science in Practice - Unit Option B: Ecology
Concepts - Describe:
- Interaction and relationship between abiotic and biotic factors
- Feeding relationships
- Reasons for species being introduced and the scope of impacts on native species and environments
- The importance of water quality
- Examples of monitoring strategies and physical, chemical and biological indicators
Information - Analyse and Interpret:
- Food pyramids and food webs
- Information from investigations
Procedures and Skills - Execute, Evaluate and Plan:
- Measurement of materials and variables e.g. pH, turbidity, salinity
- Completion of food chains and food webs
- Identification and classification of common local organisms
- Evaluate water quality monitoring data from different sites and potential benefits for the community, environment and economy
The 2024 Maritime Resources and Blue Economy with Sustainable Tourism in Sri Lanka Fellowship, managed by Griffith’s International Development Unit, was designed as an educational programme for participants working with local and national communities. It addressed critical challenges in maritime cooperation and sustainable tourism, aiming to build long-term prosperity while protecting the environment.
The Australia Awards Fellowship focused on maritime policy, resource management, environmental protection, and sustainable logistics, with the goal of advancing sustainable tourism in Sri Lanka. Through capacity building, knowledge transfer, network development, and policy support, participants contributed to the development of innovative maritime policies and sustainable tourism practices.
By aligning with priority development areas, the programme promoted economic growth, environmental stewardship, and international collaboration. It specifically targeted themes such as maritime cooperation, environmental management, sustainable logistics, sustainable tourism, and the blue economy, supporting Sri Lanka’s sustainable development in these sectors.
The Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre is funded from 2019 to 2029 and was established to undertake industry focussed research and training to support the growth of the Blue Economy with a focus on two new, emerging, and transitioning ocean industries for Australia: offshore aquaculture and renewable energy production. Griffith is working as part of this project to deliver forums, tools and approaches to assist regulators, practitioners and emerging industries to implement ecologically, economically and socially sound Marine Spatial Planning of Australia’s offshore waters, and contribute to educational programmes that promote the sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture.
Griffith researchers in the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) support educational outreach by partnering with industry, government, and research institutions to develop sustainable offshore aquaculture and marine renewable energy solutions. Through collaborative research, training programs, and regional engagement initiatives, the CRC helps local and national communities adopt best practices in fisheries and aquaculture management, while promoting environmental stewardship that indirectly benefits marine tourism.
Educational programmes and outreach about overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices
Griffith University offer educational outreach activities for local or national communities to raise awareness about overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices through its research and partnerships. Fisheries production across the globe is either static or in decline, with pressures from overfishing, pollution and climate change. Griffith supports efforts to ensure the future sustainability of fisheries production by integrating ecosystem, economic and social drivers including outreach activities to raise awareness about overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices.
Krish Gnanapragasam is a PhD candidate in Griffith Business School. Krish’s research, which ran from 2021 to 2025, focused on understanding the current state of coastal fisheries and exploring sustainable solutions to combat overfishing, taking Sri Lanka as a case study. Through this research, Krish worked with fishers to identify practical strategies to reduce overfishing.
One of Krish’s studies investigated how fishermen and their wives make joint decisions about adopting sustainable fishing practices. It found that women are generally more focused on long-term sustainability goals, highlighting the need to include women’s perspectives—often overlooked—in community fisheries management. The study’s findings were shared directly with fishing communities to promote gender-inclusive decision-making, encourage sustainable practices, and reduce overfishing and destructive fishing practices.
Another component of the Krish’s PhD involved seeking the viewpoints of fishermen, their wives, fisheries cooperative officials, and NGO representatives. This study explored local preferences for fisheries governance and found that fishing communities are open to collaborative arrangements with government agencies, rather than relying solely on self-managed or centralised systems. While fishers disagreed with the need to reduce overfishing, they indicated that they are willing to adopt fishing-free days and seasonal fishing closures, but would need compensation during these periods.
Both studies served as educational outreach initiatives to support informed, inclusive, and sustainable fisheries management at the community level and reduce overfishing.
The Fishing 2.0 project, which commenced in 2024 and is ongoing, aims to increase voluntary catch reporting among Queensland’s recreational fishers using the QLD Fishing 2.0 app. By improving the quality and quantity of recreational catch data—especially for species like Spanish mackerel—the project supports evidence-based fisheries management and long-term sustainability. Across four participatory workshops, recreational fishers helped shape campaign messaging, incentives, and app improvements. The tagline “Report today, Fish tomorrow” was developed to foster trust and collective action. The Fishing 2.0 project involves working with fishers through education outreach activities and is a vital step toward sustainable fisheries management in Queensland. Recreational fishers catch millions of fish each year, yet voluntary reporting remains low, limiting the data available to monitor stock health, guide responsible harvesting, and reduce destructive fishing practices. When fishers voluntarily report their catches, authorities and researchers gain valuable insights into fishing activity, which can help identify trends, detect suspicious or unsustainable practices, and promote compliance with regulations. Fishing 2.0 addresses this gap by making catch reporting easier, more trusted, and more rewarding through the QLD Fishing 2.0 app. The project uses behavioural science, community outreach and stakeholder co-design to shift reporting from a niche behaviour to a community norm.
Providing a foundation for the Fishing 2.0 project, the ‘Switch Your Fish’ project used a social marketing approach to address the decline of Snapper and Pearl Perch stocks off Queensland’s Sunshine Coast due to overfishing. Delivered in partnership using an outreach approach, this project aimed to voluntarily change fishers’ behaviour and alleviate fishing pressure on these species, promoting sustainable oceans and fisheries, while reducing destructive fishing practices.
The project detailed described 900+ priorities to rebuild fishing stocks in a scientific paper. Over 200 stakeholders contributed and a consensus approach was used to identify the top 25 priorities for change.
Australia’s recreational fishing sector faces mounting sustainability challenges, with heavy reliance on a few vulnerable species such as snapper, dhufish, and pearl perch. This FRDC-funded project, started in 2024 and is ongoing until 2027, explores a more collaborative path with fishers through community outreach. The project directly engages fishers in co-design and feedback, ensuring interventions are relevant and acceptable. Fishers benefit from tailored training and micro-credentialing, enhancing their capacity to implement sustainable strategies to reduce overfishing.
The project builds on successful campaigns like “Switch Your Fish” and leverages behavioural economics, social marketing, co-design, and educational outreach activities to foster sustainable fishing habits. It aims to highlight how voluntary, tailored interventions can complement regulation and empower fishers to be part of the solution. The project directly engages fishers in co-design and feedback, ensuring interventions are relevant and acceptable, while also raising fishers’ awareness about the impacts of overfishing. Fisheries managers benefit from tailored training and micro-credentialing, enhancing their capacity to implement sustainable strategies. The project aims to develop a national roadmap for voluntary species diversification strategies and to identify effective behavioural interventions through fisher engagement that reduce overfishing. This project also strengthens partnerships across academia, government, and industry, contributing new knowledge to the field of voluntary compliance and marine sustainability, while also reducing destructive fishing practices.
Nutrient Release from Aquaculture Activities
The 2 main species farmed in Queensland pond aquaculture are black tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon) and barramundi (Lates calcarifer). The aquaculture industry has potential to expand as wild-caught fish become increasingly less available and as demand for seafood continues to grow. Managing waste nutrients from intensive freshwater and marine pond aquaculture is a global challenge. In 2023, Professor Burford and Mr Simon Trabrett communicated their research results, industry practices, and regulatory policies to a broad range of stakeholders. She identified gaps in knowledge, ongoing community concerns, and potential avenues for further improvements in the environmental management of shrimp farms in Australia. This was based on her 2021-2022 project, which sought to develop a better understanding of current nutrient management practices used by the prawn and barramundi sectors of the pond aquaculture industry in Queensland. A further aim was to identify opportunities for improved nutrient management, environmental assessment and regulation for aquaculture activities within the Reef catchment, and more broadly across Queensland.
Australian Rivers Institute: Sustainable fisheries and coastal ecosystems
At the Australian Rivers Institute, we provide practical, evidence-based solutions, education and community outreach for tackling the increasing challenges to marine ecosystem health, biodiversity and fisheries from excessive nutrients and toxicants, fishing pressure, overfishing and climate change. Marine ecosystems are under increasing threat from these stressors but they also support activities highly valued by humans, including tourism, fisheries, aquaculture, and recreation. In an era of rapid global change, we work with practitioners, government and industry through community outreach and research to enhance the values derived from coastal ecosystems, including tourism, fisheries, aquaculture, and recreation. We support efforts to ensure the future sustainability of fisheries production by integrating ecosystem, economic and social drivers. Our work is focused on Australia and developing countries to help balance production and environmental sustainability of fisheries and minimise overfishing and destructive fishing practices.
Griffith events promoting conservation and sustainable utilisation of the oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and marine resources
Griffith University supports, hosts and organises events aimed to promote integrated water management and the conservation and sustainable utilisation of the oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and marine resources. In 2024 and 2025, Griffith supported a number of key events including:
The Social Science Community for the Great Barrier Reef (SSCR) Symposium 2024 was proudly hosted by Griffith University and held at the Gold Coast. This three-day event was held from September 11th to 13th 2024. This symposium brought together a community of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. It highlighted diverse stories of the Reef and its peoples, unpicking moral dilemmas around decision-making in an uncertain world, and showcasing past successes and evolving challenges. It provided a platform for participants to share knowledge, research findings, cutting edge methodologies and engage in critical and creative thinking about the social dimensions of Reef conservation, sustainable use of the ocean, seas and marine resources, and sustainable management and development on our changing planet.
In 2024, the Griffith Australian Rivers Institute hosted the International Water Association’s (IWA) Lake and Reservoir Management Symposium, advancing global dialogue on sustainable freshwater systems. The event convened scientists, practitioners and managers to share interdisciplinary approaches to lake and reservoir conservation, including strategies for mitigating diffuse pollution and eutrophication, enhancing water quality monitoring, controlling nutrient and contaminant levels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and integrating reservoir management with water treatment. The symposium directly supported the conservation and sustainable use of inland water resources through knowledge exchange and collaborative action.
Griffith University is a key partner in the annual SWELL Sculpture Festival on the Gold Coast. This festival aims to connect people, art, and place by transforming public spaces into immersive outdoor sculpture galleries, and by doing so promotes conservation and the sustainable use of our oceans.
In 2024, Griffith's Climate Action Beacon ran a session at the SWELL Festival entitled 'Custodians of our Ocean'. Events, such as this session, bring Indigenous knowledge, climate and coastal sciences, beach cultures and the arts together to support people and their communities in responding to climate changes. The event included surfers, artists and environmentalists engaging in conversations about being authentic custodians of our ocean and finding creative solutions in a changing climate.
Altered Tides at SWELL Festival is a partnership between Griffith University, Gecko Environment Council and SWELL Sculpture Festival, supported by Griffith’s Climate Action Beacon. The festival seeks to promote conservation and stewardship of our oceans.
The International WaterCentre at Griffith University runs the Community of Practice for the QWMN . This engagement activity was established in 2017 and has been ongoing since the time, continuing throughout 2024. It aims to build the capacity and collaboration in the Queensland water modelling sector, to fill strategic sectoral gaps are strengthen the sector and to encourage and maintain good aquatic stewardship practices. During 2024, events included a number of stakeholders from community, government, academic, and business sectors and included all parts of the catchment from upper catchment modelling to coastal and marine ecosystems promoting the sustainable use of land and water, as well as integrated water management approaches.
Water security, WASH, and climate resilience are deeply interconnected, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, where climate challenges such as rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and water scarcity are becoming more severe. This conference explored how ensuring access to safe water, sanitation, hygiene, and effective water management is not only critical for health but also foundational to building resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Working collaboratively with partners across the region, Water for Women and International WaterCentre (IWC) at Griffith University hosted this conference as an opportunity for professional, practitioners and Development Partners working in water, WASH, climate, water conservation and GEDSI, to share best practices and integrated approaches as a fundamental requirement of climate resilience. Throughout 2024, the IWC planned the conference with a programme committee which included actors from the Australian Government, Non-Government Organisations, Universities, and CROP agencies. The conference was successfully delivered in 2025 concurrently in both Fiji and Thailand.
Professor David Hamilton, Director of Griffith’s Australian Rivers Institute convened the World Lake’s Conference, with Griffith University acting as the host organisation. The 20th World Lake Conference (WLC20) was held from 21st to 25th July 2025, in Brisbane, Australia. The theme of the conference was Lakes as Sentinels for Integrated River Basin Management. This theme reflects how lakes are indicators of the health of their river basins and the urgent need for integrated management strategies to increase the resilience, and promote the conservation, of river basins.
Our alumni
Many of our alumni are actively working on improving water management across South-East Queensland and internationally and continue to partner with Griffith to shape positive outcomes for our aquatic and marine environments.
Contact Griffith Sustainability
Griffith Sustainability Room 2.40, Building N54, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan QLD, 4111