Regional Water Knowledge Hub for
Healthy Rivers and Aquatic Ecosystems

IWC’s Expertise

Founded in 2005, IWC is a joint venture of four leading Australian universities and two institutional partners dedicated to developing interdisciplinary solutions to water-related problems. With nodes in Brisbane, Australia, and Johannesburg, South Africa, IWC’s mission is to become one of the world’s leading business centers for water management capacity building through education, training, research, and consulting. IWC aims to promote new ways of thinking about water management, consciously encouraging people to recognize the multidimensional nature of water challenges and the role of culture, politics, and society in shaping solutions. To this end, IWC has trained and mentored water professionals from around the region, including personnel from the Yellow River Conservancy Commission in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the National Water Resources Board in the Philippines. Basing its activities on a whole–of–water–cycle approach, IWC’s research vision is to build new knowledge through creative alliances and innovative applied research. A partner to the Australian Water Research Facility, IWC also implements research activities focused on the needs of developing countries. These activities draw links between water, poverty, and health; help actors adopt long–term planning; and encourage community participation.

IWC’s Services

As the regional water knowledge hub for healthy rivers and aquatic ecosystems, IWC collaborates with government entities, water sector agencies, nongovernment organizations, communities, regional organizations, public and private corporations, and others to:

• Identify, generate, and exchange best practices and the most up-to-date information related to the protection and restoration of rivers and aquatic ecosystems through a network of knowledge institutions, experts, and champions;
• Provide training and postgraduate courses in integrated water resource management that cut across all aspects of the water cycle;
• Foster a stimulating, collaborative, and innovative research environment that produces relevant and feasible knowledge solutions to the threats that face rivers and aquatic ecosystems;

• Develop and share a framework for monitoring and evaluating the health of rivers and aquatic ecosystems using a regional scorecard and a global, cross-catchment/watershed accounting system that help decision-makers prioritize which waterways to protect, restore, and
  sustainably manage;
• Offer a master’s program and postgraduate student exchange scholarships that train water sector professionals in the environmental, social, and economic aspects of water resource management, as well as in the technical and scientific aspects;
• Create a pool of experts, water leaders, and champions with the knowledge, skills, and passion to protect and restore rivers and aquatic ecosystems;
• Furnish government entities, water sector agencies, and others with access to leading water industry researchers who bring the biophysical sciences and social and economic disciplines together to address the health of rivers and aquatic ecosystem; and
• Train and mentor water agencies and communities around the Asia and Pacific region in comprehensive water resource management and development strategies.

IWC’s Knowledge Partners

IWC is committed to developing its network of existing partners from around the Asia-Pacific region to further share knowledge, develop capacity, and coordinate services in the water sector. Public and private sector organizations interested in healthy rivers and aquatic ecosystems are invited to join IWC’s network of key knowledge partners that include the following institutions:

• Ministry of Water Resources, PRC
• Yellow River Conservancy Commission, PRC
• Network of River Basin Organizations (NARBO)
• eWater Cooperative Research Centre, Australia
• National Water Commission, Australian Government
• Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government
• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia
• Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
• South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership, Australia
• International Riverfoundation
• The University of Queensland
• Griffith University, Queensland
• Monash University, Melbourne
• University of Western Australia

Contact Information

Mark Pascoe
CEO
International WaterCentre
L4, 240 Margaret St, Brisbane, QLD 4002 Australia

Tel +61 7 3221 1772
Fax +61 7 3221 1727

Email: m.pascoe@watercentre.org
Website: www.watercentre.org