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Climate adaptation
Water resource risk assessment, resilience and adaptation
We work directly in improving the knowledge and understanding of climate change and variability and its impact on surface and groundwater resources and the demand for water. Our work directly informs more effective water resources planning, management and infrastructure investment.
Social and human risk assessment, resilience and adaptation
We are highly engaged in advancing social and human resilience to the impacts of climate change.
We work in both the urban and rural context and bring a depth of experience in understanding community health and social impacts from climate impacts such as extreme heat, drought, flood and extreme weather. We have the expertise to quantify and demonstrate this cooling effect spatially, as well as quantify changes to human thermal comfort.
Governance advice on climate risk and assessment projects
Our team works in partnership with Government entities across Australia and internationally where we advise on governance structures and processes. A large portion of the climate resilience work we do for government has a risk assessment at its core and a strong association to institution and governance. Our team brings substantial experience in understanding risk to natural and built assets, community health and values, and institutional arrangements in response to managing risk.
Economic and natural capital risk assessment, resilience and adaptation
We have a depth of experience in the economics of climate change. We have played a key role in the QLD CHAS work to understand the economic impacts of sea level rise and worked with Water Authorities to develop cost benefit assessments of water supply augmentation to respond to changes in rainfall patterns.
Cultural risk assessment, resilience and adaptation
We have been working on advancing cultural risk assessment, resilience and adaptation especially as it relates to water management, which is intrinsically linked climate change. We bring experience in working with Traditional Owners on complex land and water management projects and resilience and adaptation is always a key element of these discussions.
Biophysical risk assessment, resilience and adaptation
Alluvium works across a broad range of biophysical assets in both an urban and rural context. This experience extends to catchments, waterways, estuaries and coastal environments. All of this work relates to understanding and building resilience to climate change impacts. A large portion of our work in catchments, waterways and coasts is associated with climate change adaptation.
Policy and Strategy
Policy design, analysis and review
Developing quality policy and program frameworks requires practicality, experience, compassion, and an understanding of context. We bring a high level of expertise in the development of policy as it applies to green infrastructure, water resources and natural resource management systems. Our strength is we bring together skills in-house skills in economics, bio physical science and social science to deliver well informed and well-designed policy.
Governance frameworks
We have been developing governance arrangements for NRM and river health programs for many years across a wide range of clients. We understand the need for governance arrangements in this space to accommodate all tiers of government, industry stakeholders, advocacy groups and community users. Importantly, we not only have a deep understanding of the consistent issues that can prevent governance frameworks from being successful, but also the solutions that can overcome these challenges.
Strategy development
A lot of our work is focused on the development of effective strategy. We work with clients to develop the right roadmap to navigate the gap between where you are, and where you need to be. Key to our approach to strategy development is we manage group processes to ensure everyone has participated in the decision-making and understand how the plan has evolved, and how the action plans align effort towards the organisational goals.
Risk Management
We provide risk assessment and management services to respond to issues in the water and natural resource management sectors. We provide a holistic approach to developing risk frameworks and ensure they align with organisational and program goals and objectives. Our risk frameworks are based in the ISO 31000 standard, but customise to suit our client needs. Our approach to risk management considers the design, implementation, maintenance and improvement of risk management process.
Engagement and facilitation
Our engagement specialists are experienced water and natural resource managers who design effective collaborative and participatory processes to enable shared decision making. We use a range of proven facilitation and engagement techniques as well as bespoke innovative approaches to deliver meaningful outcomes for your stakeholders including Federal, state and local government, industry and business, academia and research institutions, non-government organisations, Traditional Owner and First Nations Peoples, and the broader community.
River Health
Stream restoration and channel design
We specialise in stream restoration and channel design. Core to our success is that we work with nature rather than against it. Our ability to understand the future trajectory of stream systems allows us to design solutions that complement natural processes resulting in more efficient designs which achieve desired outcomes.
Geomorphic investigations and assessments
We specialise in combining our knowledge of landscape geomorphology with our understanding on how the complex interactions between flow, sediment and vegetation impact on stream morphology. Our ability to understand and quantify the future trajectory of stream systems allows us to provide clients with invaluable information to inform complex waterway management decisions.
River health and ecological restoration
Our river restoration work focuses on a large variety of ecological, physical, spatial and management measures and practices. These are all aimed at restoring the natural state and functioning of the river system in support of biodiversity, recreation, flood management and landscape development. We undertake engineering work to bring rivers closer to their natural state include the creation of fish passage, weir removal, large wood installation and strategic scour management.
Water quality science and management
We provide an integrated approach to water quality management, tailoring the application of our specialist expertise in hydrology, hydraulics, and hydrogeology and water chemistry. We bring a significant understanding of the relationships between water quality and river health.
Hydrologic and hydraulic modelling
We are specialists in applying a range of modelling technologies in 1D and 2D hydraulics, rainfall-runoff, and river systems modelling. We appreciate the role of models as a tool in guiding decisions in complex economic, ecological and social environments. Our integrated understanding across disciplines helps connect modellings to useful management responses.
River diversion design
Our directors and long serving senior staff have led diversion design research and practice in the Queensland mining industry for the best part of two decades. We undertake assessments, designs and monitoring in all Australian States and work abroad in some of the longest and most complex diversion in the world.
Fish passage design and mitigation
Fishway design in Australia is a developing science and provides continuing opportunities to provide improved and innovative solutions. Alluvium has been integrally involved in designing fishways, using both proven methods and new technologies and materials. Through this experience we have been able to provide Clients with fishway solutions appropriate to the environmental context, while achieving economic efficiency and optimal functionality.
Stream bank stabilisation
We utilise our geomorphic and engineering skills to design stream bank stabilisation works that integrate into the natural landscape. Our aim in our stream bank stabilisation designs is to provide the minimum intervention required to provide flood resilience and an environment conducive to restoring native vegetation, instream habitat and ecological functions.
Urban Water
Water Sensitive Urban Design
Our core skills include the investigation, planning and design of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) assets to treat stormwater to meet best practice and government policy requirements. This work includes research, policy development, catchment scale planning strategies, option evaluation and prioritisation, feasibility assessments, concept and detailed design. We plan and design these assets with amenity, cooling, natural system protection and community health benefits in mind.
Urban Waterway naturalisation
Waterway naturalisation (or waterway restoration and daylighting streams) normally involves converting drainage channels into a more naturalised state, typically recreating to some extent the former history of the waterway. We have been instrumental in advancing both state based policy and best practice engineering design approaches to channel naturalisation.
Climate change adaption and resilience
Extreme heat events are becoming more common due to climate change and cities are struggling to gain or maintain their liveability. Our expertise in the urban heat island, urban cooling modelling and the principles of WSUD assets and tree placement to maximise urban cooling enable our clients to increase liveability while responding to climate change.
Integrated water management
Alluvium prepares IWM plans and strategies across rural and urban landscapes at regional, township, development and lot scales. We bring our understanding of waterways, WSUD, liveability and health and wellbeing impacts of water management, putting forward options that deliver multiple benefits for all stakeholders.
Hydrologic and hydraulic modelling
We are specialists in applying hydrological and hydraulic models in applications such as flood studies, water sensitive urban design, drainage strategy and ecological risk assessments. We understand water as a resource in urban landscapes that provides community benefits through amenity and sustains ecological diversity.
GIS Spatial analysis
Geospatial analysis is a core skillset that supports much of the work we do. Our work requires expertise in handing, collating and cleansing spatial datasets, and extends right through to complex GIS analysis involving coding and scripts in languages such as Python and R.
Engagement and facilitation
Our engagement specialists are experienced water and natural resource managers who design effective collaborative and participatory processes to enable shared decision making. We use a range of proven facilitation and engagement techniques as well as bespoke innovative approaches to deliver meaningful outcomes for your stakeholders including Federal, state and local government, industry and business, academia and research institutions, non-government organisations, Traditional Owner and First Nations Peoples, and the broader community.
Coastal Management
Coastal system protection and management
The coastline is a dynamic setting to work in and we provide highly qualified specialists to inform management of this challenging environment. We undertake assessments of coastal processes including sediment dynamics, trajectory of landscape change, and implications for management and mitigation options.
Coastal engineering
We approach our coastal engineering with a philosophy to work with nature to ensure the long-term sustainability of coastal development projects. We offer a unique combination of knowledge and a comprehensive suite of tools to provide our clients with the optimal solutions to overcome complex coastal engineering challenges.
Coastal hazard assessment
We combine an appreciation of integrated physical processes (catchment, estuary and coast) in the delivery of coastal hazard assessments. This goes beyond the standard vulnerability and risk assessment approaches to include leading practice hazard mapping, risk assessment and socio-economic evaluation of adaptation options. We tailor each assessment to local contexts and consider opportunities to integrate coastal hazard management with other strategic planning actions in urban and rural environments.
Climate change adaption and resilience
Our team brings a range of expertise to the climate change adaptation planning process, including specialist understanding of coastal processes, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement and economics. We assist planning authorities with assessments at a range of scales from site specific advice through to catchment and coastal zone plans.
Engagement and facilitation
Our engagement specialists are experienced coastal and natural resource managers who design effective collaborative and participatory processes to enable shared decision making. We use a range of proven facilitation and engagement techniques as well as bespoke innovative approaches to deliver meaningful outcomes for your stakeholders including Federal, state and local government, industry and business, academia and research institutions, non-government organisations, Traditional Owner and First Nations Peoples, and the broader community.
Water resource management
Environmental water management
Alluvium has been instrumental in assessing and addressing the issues of water stressed systems across Australia. We work to improve environmental water management, balancing the needs of the environment with consumptive needs and other pressures across various scales – from small floodplain wetlands to heavily regulated river systems and landscape watering projects. We bring knowledge of river hydrology, hydraulics, ecology and geomorphic processes and link these processes to agreed objectives.
Catchment hydrology
Our staff have been integral in the development and implementation of most of the commonly used tools for assessing urban water futures (such as Source, Urban Developer and MUSIC) and have applied them nationally and internationally. We bring experience across the suite of eWater modelling tools, including, AUSRIVAS, Eco-Modeller, MUSIC, Source, and Urban-Developer.
Catchment modelling
We are a national leader in the integrated modelling of catchment hydrology with ecological response and management models. Our catchment modelling work focuses on the investigation of the water resources of urban and rural catchments, under the effects of land use, land management, water diversion, climate variability, and climate change. We have specialist skills in Source modelling to simulate all aspects of water resource systems.
Climate science and analysis
We work directly in improving the knowledge and understanding of climate change and variability and its impact on surface and groundwater resources and the demand for water. Our work directly informs more effective water resources planning, management and infrastructure investment.
GIS Spatial analysis
Geospatial analysis is a core skillset that supports much of the work we do. Our work requires expertise in handing, collating and cleansing spatial datasets, and extends right through to complex GIS analysis involving coding and scripts in languages such as Python and R. We have specialist knowledge of the publicly and privately held datasets that underpin technical investigations in a broad range of disciplines. These disciplines span the river health and natural resource management areas, through to urban planning and heat mapping.
Engagement and facilitation
Our engagement specialists are experienced water and natural resource managers who design effective collaborative and participatory processes to enable shared decision making. We use a range of proven facilitation and engagement techniques as well as bespoke innovative approaches to deliver meaningful outcomes for your stakeholders including Federal, state and local government, industry and business, academia and research institutions, non-government organisations, Traditional Owner and First Nations Peoples, and the broader community.
Economics
Socio-economic impact assessments
We regularly undertake detailed socio-economic impacts assessments to inform policy and investment decisions. This involves establishing baselines and working across disciplines and with stakeholders to identify and scope the impacts of policies or projects. We then develop mitigation measures to minimise adverse impacts, especially for vulnerable communities.
Cost benefit analysis
Cost benefit analysis (CBA) is the primary economic tool by which we help decision-makers to evaluate alternative options in a transparent and robust way. We have extensive experience preparing CBAs across the water, agriculture, waste, and transport sectors. We are known for our ability to incorporate environmental and social costs and benefits within our analyses, which are frequently used to support business cases for new initiatives.
Non-Market Valuation
How does a dollar invested in environmental activities improve the lives of our community or customers, and how might the inclusion of these values help us to choose between alternatives. We inform such questions by using non-market valuation (NMV) techniques to estimate the monetary value of environmental or social impacts associated with a given project / intervention.
Water, energy and climate change economics
We have specialist knowledge of the water and energy sectors and the cross-cutting issue of climate change. We regularly include consideration of the policy, regulatory and technical factors that impact these sectors to provide strategic advice that is grounded in the reality of our client’s operating context, not just economic theory. We pride ourselves on our ability to combine science and economics in a meaningful and transparent way.
Agriculture and sustainable development
We have delivered a range of projects to support sustainable development in the agricultural sector (e.g. for new irrigation developments, land use change and intensification, fertiliser use and water use efficiency). In addition, we regularly prepare detailed economic assessments to assess an industry’s or region’s competitive advantages and the opportunities for sustainable development.
Market design and analysis
Using market-like approaches to deliver more efficient natural resource and environmental management outcomes has become more common in recent years. Our staff have been at the forefront of the design and evaluation of markets for the delivery of better outcomes for water allocations, water quality, vegetation management, biodiversity, and natural resource management practice change.
Pricing, cost-sharing and co-investment
With ever-increasing downward pressure on costs, and the recognition that many projects deliver benefits across different stakeholder groups, our clients often seek our advice on how to establish robust cost-sharing and co-investment arrangements. We work with clients to identify, scope and value the distribution of the benefits of projects to support negotiations around who should pay.
Pricing models
We regularly undertake economic analyses to assist clients on establishing pricing for services (e.g. water and sewerage charges) within best practice regulatory pricing frameworks and / or based on full lifecycle costs of a given investment / intervention. Our analysis typically also includes quantitative analysis of affordability and distributional consequences.
Cities and community
Shaping cities and communities
Water and green infrastructure play a central role in creating viable, sustainable and resilient cities. We employ specialists in green/blue infrastructure policy, strategy and design at the city-scale. We work with government agencies and private industry to create greener, cooler and healthier cities.
Urban cooling and comfort analysis
The urban heat island is becoming more prominent as urban populations grow and densify. Urban cooling can be achieved through implementing strategies involving blue-green infrastructure. We have the expertise to quantify and demonstrate this cooling effect spatially, as well as quantify changes to human thermal comfort.
Resilience planning
Cities are under pressure from rapidly increasing population growth and dangerous climate change. We’re seeing rising inequality, more homelessness, mental illness and obesity. We are experiencing increasingly extreme weather events. We work with clients to develop plans to reduce the impacts of disruption to communities. Our work helps to set the direction governments need to take to strengthen communities’ ability to survive, adapt and thrive in the face of increasing global uncertainty and local shocks and stresses.
Climate change adaption and resilience
Extreme heat events are becoming more common due to climate change and cities are struggling to gain or maintain their liveability. Our expertise in the urban heat island, urban cooling modelling and the principles of tree placement to maximise urban cooling enable our clients to increase liveability while responding to climate change.
Social analysis
Cities are complex mosaics of biophysical and social communities. Understanding the geographies of these communities is critical to creating liveable and resilient communities. We use advanced spatial analytics and applied social science to understand the distribution of different communities, their motivations and aspirations. We draw unique insights from our social analysis capabilities to inform strategies and plans to improve the lives of communities.
Liveability concepts and planning
Our work drives some of the most significant liveability concepts and initiatives across Australia. We work in delivering the next generation of open space strategies, Liveability Frameworks, and Wellbeing Budget Indicators. We help set Government investments in parks, waterways climate change and sustainable planning.
Evaluation
Evaluation frameworks
Development of a sound monitoring and evaluation framework provides a guide and a shared understanding between the evaluator, client and key stakeholders regarding the purpose, focus and conduct of an evaluation. We are experienced in the development of frameworks which allow for a systematic and objective review of the appropriateness, efficiency and/or effectiveness of a program. We’re leaders in facilitating program logic / theory of change and bring this expertise into all our work in the development of evaluation frameworks.
Program evaluation
Alluvium has a long-established history of working with government, nongovernment organisations, communities and landholders to evaluate the performance of natural resources and environmental investment programs. We emphasise drawing on evidence from the literature, well-structured engagement, and dissemination of learnings. Our work always focuses on strengthening an internal culture of reflection on organisational performance, as well a strong ownership of the results.
Data analytics and visualisation
We source, collate and enhance what can be disparate data sets, and present them in a manner that provides insight and clarity to tell compelling stories.
Engagement and facilitation
Our engagement specialists are experienced water and natural resource managers who design effective collaborative and participatory processes to enable shared decision making. We use a range of proven facilitation and engagement techniques as well as bespoke innovative approaches to deliver meaningful outcomes for your stakeholders including Federal, state and local government, industry and business, academia and research institutions, non-government organisations, Traditional Owner and First Nations Peoples, and the broader community.
First Nations Support
Cultural water
We work with First nations people and state and federal agencies to advance the concepts and science of cultural water. We have a demonstrated track record of integrating cultural objectives into state based environmental flow frameworks.
Governance and strategy
We work with first nation organisations and as appropriate state and federal governments to develop fit for purpose governance frameworks and aligned policy and strategy to guide investment.
Engagement
Alluvium works with first nation organisations and individuals across Australia to advance issues associate with land, water and waterway management. Most of this engagement in on country where we work with local communities to understand what is most important to them.
Landscape Ecology
Strategic Ecological Advice
Our core skills focus on developing plans and strategies to help our clients understand the climate related risks to their ecological assets at landscape scale and plan for their future.
Ecological Modelling and Data Analysis
We use a range of ecological conceptual models and modelling tools to assist in the development of biodiversity and ecosystem conservation policies, planning and management of natural reserve networks and assessment of the impacts of climate change.
Spatial Analysis and Visualisation
Spatial analysis and visualisation are integral to much of our consulting work’s success. Our team specialises in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to provide valuable insights and advice to clients through presenting complex ideas and concepts in a visually-appealing manner.
Ecological Monitoring and Management
Our team develops and delivers ecological monitoring programs across Australia for local councils, state and federal governments, natural resource management organisations and water utilities.
Environmental Risk Management
Our provide extensive knowledge in the identification of potential environmental risks, preparation of environmental scoping reports (ESRs), review of environmental factors (REFs), environmental auditing against legislative requirements and obtaining environmental approvals.
Disaster risk, resilience and recovery
Emergency response planning
Alluvium has a track record in supporting our clients in emergency response planning especially as it applies to the natural environment. We have worked on plans which link up policy, planning, emergency preparedness and response.
Risk assessment and business case development
We undertake risk assessments and develop and review business cases for the investment of public funds in policy initiatives, programs and infrastructure associated with disaster resilience and recovery. We understand the importance of a clear and compelling narrative that focuses on investment need and value.
On ground assessment
We have skills and experience to be deployed into the field following natural disasters to undertake assessment of catchment, waterway and estuary assets. These assessments are used to inform intervention priorities such as ongoing risk to built infrastructure or impacts to the environment such as sediment generation and movement. We have worked in close relationship with our government clients post fire, flood and cyclone events.
Community engagement
We are experienced at being on the ground following a natural disaster to engage with impacted communities and we understand the need to approach these situations with both empathy and objectivity.
Evaluation of effectiveness
We work with government agencies to evaluate the performance disaster recovery programs where we focus on the evaluation of the social impacts and economic benefit of government intervention and funding.
Economic appraisal
We are experts at applying fit-for-purpose economic tools to identify and analyse the full range of costs, benefits and trade-offs of policy and investment options. We understand how to communicate economics effectively to ensure our analysis is understood and supported.
