The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists (in short, the Wentworth Group) is an independent group comprising Australian scientists, economists and business people with conservation interests. The name of the group comes from the venue of their principal meetings prior to release of their first blueprint; Blueprint for a Living Continent. Program The Wentworth Group has three core objectives: Driving innovation in the management of Australia's biodiversity, land and water resources; Engage business, community and political leaders in a dialogue to find and implement solutions to the challenge of environmental stewardship facing the future of Australian society; Building capacity by mentoring and supporting young scientists, lawyers and economists to develop their skills and understanding of public policy. The Wentworth Group first came together in November 2002. Their first statement, Blueprint for a Living Continent, set out what it believed were the key changes that needed to be made to deliver a sustainable future for our continent and its people. The Group emphasised the need to: Clarify water property rights and the obligations associated with those rights to give farmers some certainty and to enable water to be recovered for the environment. Restore environmental flows to stressed rivers, such as the River Murray and its tributaries. Immediately end broad scale land clearing of remnant native vegetation and assist rural communities with adjustment. This provides fundamental benefits to water quality, prevention of salinity, prevention of soil loss and conservation of biodiversity. Pay farmers for environmental services (clean water, fresh air, healthy soils). Where we expect farmers to maintain land in a certain way that is above their duty of care, we should pay them to provide those services on behalf of the rest of Australia. Incorporate into the cost of food, fibre and water the hidden subsidies currently borne by the environment, to assist farmers to farm sustainably and profitably in this country. Members The Wentworth Group consists of: Dr Emma Carmody, an international environmental lawyer and co-founder of Restore Blue Peter Cosier, , an urban and regional planner, policy analyst, and conservationist Professor Tim Flannery, , a mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist and global warming activist, awarded as the 2007 Australian of the Year Dr. Terry Hillman, , an ecologist who is an adjunct professor at La Trobe University; a former Member of the Murray-Darling Basin Sustainable Rivers Audit Professor Lesley Hughes, an ecologist who is a Councillor of the Australian Climate Council; Lead