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OBJECTIVES
Assess and report (the project report) the economic and social impacts of protecting the environmental values of the waters of the (1) Condamine-Balonne, (2) Queensland Border Rivers, (3) Moonie and the (4) Warrego, Paroo, Bulloo and Nebine water resource plan areas (the project waters) in accordance with:
• the objective in relation to water quality and salinity under section 5.04 of the Basin Plan – to maintain appropriate water quality, including salinity levels, for environmental, social, cultural and economic activity in the Murray-Darling Basin
• the requirements of section 11(3)(b) of the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009 (EPP Water)
• the general technical and policy framework of the report The economic and social impacts of protecting the environmental values of the waters of the Capricorn and Curtis Coasts (MJA, 2014).

SCOPE

The Consultant will undertake a desktop study to assess and report on the economic and social impacts of protecting the environmental values of the project waters, within the same technical and policy framework of the Capricorn/Curtis Coasts report (MJA, 2014). Project waters means all surface waters (including all streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands) and groundwaters across the (1) Condamine-Balonne, (2) Queensland Border Rivers, (3) Moonie and the (4) Warrego, Paroo, Bulloo and Nebine water resource plan areas.
The Consultant will:
• Undertake a literature review of past and current understanding of the social and economic dimensions of the project area as they pertain to protecting the environmental and human use values, and identify gaps for future research.
• Use public domain information and reports to provide the current socio-economic condition and trend assessment for the project waters, building upon the previous socio-economic profiling that has been conducted for this region.
• Assess the range of activities with direct/indirect reliance on/sensitivity to water quality.
• Appraise the likely effects of changes in water quality on ecosystem health and human use environmental values for each basin within the project waters, and assess the potential economic and social significant of protecting the environmental values for the project waters.
• Prepare a draft report for the project waters, with regional chapters for each water resource plan area, in the same format and technical and policy framework as the MJA (2014) report and submit to the DEHP Project Manager.
• Prepare the final report addressing comments from DEHP, stakeholders and peer-reviewers on each of the regional chapters.