Colin Chartres

Dr Colin Chartres has 30 years experience in driving research and policy reform across the area of natural resources management, with a focus on water and soils both in Australia and overseas. He is Director General of the Sri Lanka-based International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the world’s pre-eminent research institution on management of water for food, livelihoods and the environment.

He has spent a considerable part of his career working on international development issues with organisations such as CSIRO and Ausaid, the Australian Geological Survey Organisation and the Bureau of Rural Sciences. He was formerly Chief Science Advisor to Australia’s National Water Commission where he is trying to ensure that the National Water Initiative is underpinned by sound science.
Colin Chartres has published over 120 papers, book chapters and reports on soil, water and agricultural management issues. He has also contributed to and supervised projects for the National Land and Water Resources Audit.

Chartres who has worked closely with the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food believes that most of today’s water issues cannot be solved without a truly integrated triple bottom line approach, involving environmental, social and economic inputs.

Author's website: International Water Management Institute