chelsea lane-miller

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2009 Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar

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“The worldwide need for creative solutions to provide water for all its legitimate uses and users has never been greater.”

Chelsea Lane-Miller, originally from Boulder, Colorado, USA has won a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship from the Australian-American Fulbright Commission for twelve months research at the CSIRO in Adelaide and the University of South Australia.

Chelsea will study farmers’ future plans in the Murray-Darling Basin in light of the Australian Government’s plan to return a significant amount of irrigation water back to the environment. She will help to identify farmers likely to participate in the buy back program, and review various approaches to buy back programs. This work will play a role in ensuring that the Government’s buyback plan successfully returns water to rivers while still maintaining viable rural communities within the Murray-Darling Basin.

“Agriculture, a major industry in Australia, represents 75 per cent of all water use. Ensuring a strong farming sector and sustainable rural communities is a socioeconomic priority for Australia,” Chelsea said.

“However, protecting the health of rivers, wetlands, and other water-dependent ecosystems has also become a priority as Australia has come to recognise the economic, social, and environmental consequences of degraded ecosystems.”

Chelsea said that finding farmers willing to sell their water will be difficult because water markets have already prompted farmers to use water more efficiently.

“Understanding farmers’ visions for their farms in a future with less water can greatly assist policymakers in identifying and targeting potential sellers,” Chelsea said.

“This information, coupled with a review of buyback programs for water and other natural resource sectors will help to ensure that this water buyback program achieves the dual goals of restoring rivers and maintaining sustainable rural communities.”

Chelsea has a B.A. in Geography and Government from Dartmouth College. She has won various awards, grants and fellowships to study water in other countries, and was most recently a Hansard Society Research Scholar in London, England. She worked for American Rivers as Associate Director of Outreach and interned with National Geographic. In addition to her academic and professional work, Chelsea is an avid white water rafter, a scuba dive instructor, outdoor enthusiast and potter.

Chelsea is one of 19 American Fulbright Scholars travelling to Australia in 2009/2010.