ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION FOR TOTAL CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT - INCORPORATING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Total Catchment Management (TCM) has been implemented in New South Wales to provide a more integrated, participatory approach to natural resource management. This change in direction poses significant challenges for obtaining and integrating environmental information. This paper examines the adequacy of environmental information in terms of both the participatory turn in government policy and the management imperatives of the integrated, catchment-wide approach of TCM. Drawing on empirical studies in the Hunter Valley, it is suggested that current information available for TCM is inadequate and reflects a fragmented approach that is primarily concerned with biophysical phenomena and is generated at inappropriate scales. Furthermore, most information is generated by government agencies, ignoring the substantial contribution that catchment occupiers could make. It is argued that the utilisation of the knowledge and experience of occupiers could provide more integrated catchment perspectives while meeting the participatory goals espoused in TCM.