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UK/NZ/Aust Collaboration - About the collaboration

By 2030, it is expected that two thirds of the worlds population will live in areas of acute water stress, causing an increased reliance on treated wastewater, and an increased prevalence of contaminants in water.  

The UK-NZ-Australia Collaborative Network exists to promote a broad exploration of the current and future impacts of the water crisis on water quality and on the consequent health of humans, wildlife and ecosystems in Australia and the UK. It will facilitate exchange of information and possible solutions to these challenges for the benefit of all governments and society at large.

Aims and objectives

The research objectives of the network are:

• To build scientific knowledge behind management of contaminant and disease -related health and safety risks in the water environment and in the water supply system
• To ensure reliability and safety of water from source to sea
• To provide new technologies to facilitate monitoring and recycling of water.

The cooperation will aim to:

• Compare and contrast the fate and behaviour concentrations and distribution of micro-pollutants in both Australian and UK aquatic ecosystems.
• Compare and contrast the effects of micro-pollutants on wildlife biota in aquatic ecosystems, In some instances, the same species will be studied in each country, but under different climatic conditions.
• Extend the validity of OECD chemical tests and screens developed by the UK and other international partners to a wider range of aquatic species, including some fauna unique to Australia.
• To provide new technologies for monitoring and predicting the concentrations and effects of micro-pollutants in water. These may include in-vitro rapid screens and smart biosensors to detect pathogens and pollutants.

The cooperation will initially focus on selected river basins in Australia and the UK, respectively: The Thames, the Severn Trent, The Murray-Darling, and the Yarra.

Other river and estuarine systems will also be studied where active collaborations can be established or where they are already established between UK and Australian scientists.