PhD Scholar
Integrating Economic Valuation in Catchment Modelling
E-mail: marit.kragt@anu.edu.au

Changes to land use and land management in Australian catchments have led to pressures on water resources and declining water quality and ecosystem health in rivers and estuaries. There is limited information about the impacts of catchment management on water quality and ecosystems, and the subsequent impacts of environmental changes on socio-economic systems.

In this research, an integrated model will be developed for a case-study of the Georges Bay catchment in Tasmania. The model aims to assess the environmental and economic effects of changes in land use and management, focusing on river rehabilitation and water quality. Hydrological models are developed to predict changes in water quality. In the absence of monitoring data, effects on river and estuary ecology are predicted using Bayesian probabilistic modelling. Economic valuation techniques (Choice Experiments) will be employed to estimate the non-market values affected by changes in catchment management. An integrated Bayesian Network model will be developed to allow an assessment of the trade-offs between environmental and socio-economic systems.

This study is supervised by Professor Jeff Bennett (Crawford School), Professor Tony Jakeman (Integrated Catchment Assessment and Management (iCAM), Fenner School) and Dr Lachlan Newham (iCAM, Fenner School). Financial support is provided by the Landscape Logic and Environmental Economics CERF Research Hubs.

See more details about Marit at: http://www.crawford.anu.edu.au/students/showphd.php?id=95&surname=Kragt