Water stewardship for tertiary institutions and future water leaders

Megan McLeod, Program Director at Alliance for Water Stewardship Asia-Pacific presented at GWI’s Water Issues Commentary Seminar at UNSW Sydney on Wednesday 11 March. Megan’s presentation was on the topic of ‘Building a water-secure future for all: Water stewardship for tertiary institutions and future water leaders’.

In her presentation, Megan provided a thorough overview of water stewardship, saying that it was never developed as a ‘silver bullet’ or as a way of replacing traditional regulatory or technical approaches to managing water—but that instead it is a way to reinforce and support those management methods.

She also discussed the unique role of universities in water stewardship, describing them as major water users and big players in a catchment with the opportunity to have a significant impact within their own catchments and operations. Importantly, she says that universities are best placed to equip future water leaders to apply water stewardship to their work now and in the future.

Megan used the University of Milwaukee as an example of what can be achieved. The university became a major driver within a collaborative program addressing water stewardship across their whole catchment.  They have also recently developed a water stewardship masters program with professional credentialing included, enabling them to promote themselves as water stewardship professionals and offer a unique opportunity to their clients and to incorporate their expertise into future work.

Megan's presentation can be viewed on the GWI YouTube channel.