Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists

The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists (in short, the Wentworth Group) is a group of Australian scientists concerned with the environment, that in November 2002 released a statement, "Blueprint for a Living Continent". This calls for significant environmental reform to alleviate the mis-use of Australia's resources, significantly its water.

The name of the group comes from the venue of their principal meetings prior to release of the blueprint.

Programme

The Wentworth Group proposes five key changes that the Federal and State governments can implement immediately:

* Clarify water property rights and the obligations associated with those rights to give farmers some certainty and to enable water to be recovered for the environment;
* Restore environmental flows to stressed rivers, such as the River Murray and its tributaries;
* Immediately end broadscale landclearing of remnant native vegetation and assist rural communities with adjustment.
* Pay farmers for environmental services (clean water, fresh air, healthy soils). Where we expect farmers to maintain land in a certain way that is above their duty of care, we should pay them to provide those services on behalf of the rest of Australia; and
* Incorporate into the cost of food, fibre and water the hidden subsidies currently borne by the environment.

The blueprint was widely publicised in the media and was considered by the highest levels of government.

Members

The Wentworth Group consists of:
*Prof Peter Cullen - Commissioner, National Water Commission; Former Director, Co-operative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, University of Canberra
*Prof Tim Flannery - 2007 Australian of the Year; Zoologist and author ("The Future Eaters") ("The Weather Makers")
*Assoc Prof Ronnie Harding - Chair, NSW Council on Environmental Education; Former Director, Institute of Environmental Studies, University of New South Wales
*Prof Hugh Possingham - Director, The Ecology Centre, University of Queensland
*Rob Purves - Chair, Environment Business Australia; Chair, Purves Environmental Fund
*Dr Denis Saunders - President of WWF Australia; Former CSIRO Chief research scientist
*Prof Bruce Thom - Emeritus Professor, University of Sydney - Former Chair Australian State of the Environment Committee and the NSW Coastal Council
*Dr John Williams - Commissioner, NSW Natural Resources Commission, Former Chief of CSIRO Land and Water
*Prof Mike Young - Professor of Water Economics & Management, Adelaide University; Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Land and Water
*Peter Cosier - Director and Member of the Wentworth Group.
*Leith Boully - Former Chair of the Community Advisory Committee of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission

External links

* [http://www.wentworthgroup.org'Wentworth Group]
* [http://www.purvesenvirofund.org.au Purves Environmental Fund]
* [http://www.wentworthgroup.org/docs/blueprint_for_a_living_contintent.pdf "Blueprint for a Living Continent"] - a report from the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists November 2002 (PDF, 135 kB)
* [http://www.wentworthgroup.org/docs/blueprint_national_water_plan.pdf "Blueprint for a National Water Plan"] - a report from the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists 31 July 2003 (PDF, 1.2 MB)
* [http://www.wentworthgroup.org/docs/new_model_report_to_carr.pdf "A New Model for Landscape Conservation in New South Wales"] - Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists Report to Premier Bob Carr February 2003 (PDF, 56 kB)