Jeff Camkin

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Jeff Camkin

Professor

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7952-5795

  • The University of Western Australia (M082), 35 Stirling Highway,

    6009 Perth

    Australia

Personal profile

Biography

Jeff Camkin holds tertiary qualifications in science and natural resources law, and has worked in water, irrigation, fisheries and other natural resources research, management, policy and governance for the last 20 years. He is currently Professor (Water Resource Management) at the University of Western Australia’s Centre of Excellence for Ecohydrology, a visiting Professor at the Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC) in Lisbon, Portugal and Australian Coordinator for the UNESCO-IHP HELP program. Jeff is inspired and energised when he is helping local communities understand and benefit from linking with national and global water initiatives.

Roles and responsibilities

Responsible for fostering leadership and excellence in the integration of science, policy and stakeholder interests relating to Ecohydrology and water resource management for the Centre of Excellence in Ecohydrology, University of Western Australia. Actively developing, promoting and enhancing the activities of the Centre at the state, national and international level through strategic partnerships with research, policy, stakeholder and industry organisations.

Future research

Future research will focus on water governance. Several projects are currently under development with colleagues in Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, Egypt, Germany and the Middle East.

Funding overview

Churchill Fellowship ($20,000)
ANCID Fellowship ($6,500)
CRC IF Fellowship ($5,000)

Previous positions

- Director, Australian Water Association (2009-2011)

- Program/Deputy Leader Irrigation System Harmonisation, CRC for Irrigation Futures (2008-10)

- Director/Research Leader, Australian Research Centre for Water in Society, CSIRO (2008-09)

- Project Leader, Systematic Social Analysis, Queensland Urban Water Security Research Alliance (2008-09)

- Sustainability Specialist, Northern Australia Irrigation Futures, CSIRO (2005-09)

- Member, Western Australian (WA) Government Water Law Reform Reference Group (2007-08)

- Member, Australian Water Association WA Branch Committee (1997-08)

- Invited witness to WA Parliamentary Inquiry on Water Services and Licensing (2007)

- Invited witness to WA Parliamentary Inquiry on Water Governance (2006)

- Principal Policy Officer (Water Industry Arrangements), Department of the Premier and Cabinet, WA Gov (2005)

- Member of two person Water Industry Governance Review Committee (2005)

- President, Australian Water Association, WA Branch (2005-2007)

- Member WA Water Legislation & Administrative Arrangements Working Group (2005)

- Member WA Government Interagency Working Group on National Water Initiative (2004)

- Member, WA Irrigation Review Steering Committee (2003-2005)

- Member WA Premier's Water Taskforce (2003-05)

- Policy and Liaison Officer, Minister for the Environment, WA Government (2003-05)

- Strategy Manager (Water Resources) / Project Director, Water Resource Management Charges, Office of the DG, Department of Environment, WA (2003-05)

- Member National Groundwater Committee (1999-01)

- Manager Water Allocation, Water and Rivers Commission, WA (1997-02)

- Recreational Fishing Policy and Planning Officer, WA (1996-97)

- Special Projects Officer, Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries, WA (1995-96)

- Commercial Fisheries Manager, NSW Fisheries (1992-1995)

Current projects

Current projects include developing short courses for the UNESCO International Centre for Coastal Ecohydrology and PROWATERMAN at the National Centre for Civil Engineering, both in Portugal.

Industrial relevance

Exacerbated by population growth, rising food demand and global climate change, water is one of the most crucial issues we face. The importance of good water resource management has been highlighted at the local, national and global scale recently, yet the United Nations and others point to poor water governance as one of the major causes of failures in water management. Jeff's research and collaboration is providing a bridge between Australian water managers and those in Europe and elsewhere. This is helping to ensure that Australia benefits from valuable experiences elsewhere and is also in a position to share the experiences of success and failures in this country.

Teaching overview

- Water Governance and Integrated Water Management. An intensive Short Course for MARSoluT PhD Fellow, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. 2021.

- Water Governance and Integrated Water Management. Master in Tropical Hydrogeology and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. 2016 - present.

- Water, Agricultural Landscapes and Food Security. International Water Centre (IWC), Australia. 2012-2020.

- Global Water Issues and Integrated Water Resource Management, UNESCO International Centre for Coastal Ecohydrology (ICCE), Portugal. 2010-2014.

- Australia-Pakistan Agricultural Scholarships Short Course in Irrigation and Water Resource Management. 6-week Australian Aid course delivered in Australia for 24 participants from Pakistan. 

- Global Ecohydrology in Action, UNESCO ICCE, Portugal. 2011.

- Introduction to Water in Australia, International Centre for Water Resource Management, Perth. 2010.

Research

Jeff's work is focussed on integrated water resource management and governance and, in particular, promoting trans-disciplinary strategic thinking, improved utilisation of local knowledge and effective collaboration for better policy outcomes.

Languages

- English
- Some Portuguese

Education/Academic qualification

Law, Grad. Dip. (Natural Resources Law), Graduate Diploma in Natural Resources Law, University of Wollongong

1 Jul 1995 → 1 Jul 1997

Award Date: 31 Dec 1997

Applied Science, Bachelor of Applied Science (Fisheries), Bachelor of Applied Science (Fisheries) - With Distinction, University of Tasmania

1 Feb 1990 → 1 Oct 1992

Award Date: 1 Mar 1992

External positions

Senior Fellow (Water policy and management), Institute for Study and Development Worldwide

1 Jan 2020 → …

Research expertise keywords

  • Water governance
  • Water strategy and policy
  • Water allocation and management
  • Water education
  • Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)
  • Irrigation catchments
  • Fisheries management

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
    SDG 2 Zero Hunger
  2. SDG 4 - Quality Education
    SDG 4 Quality Education
  3. SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation
    SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation
  4. SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
    SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
  5. SDG 13 - Climate Action
    SDG 13 Climate Action
  6. SDG 14 - Life Below Water
    SDG 14 Life Below Water
  7. SDG 15 - Life on Land
    SDG 15 Life on Land
  8. SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals
    SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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