Water scarcity can be a significant limitation to economic development. Water use and its regulation are therefore important targets for biodiversity mainstreaming. Sectors that are experiencing either environmental regulatory issues or real environmental limits are likely to be more open to the potential outcomes of biodiversity mainstreaming. Biodiversity mainstreaming into the National Water Resource Strategy version 2 (NWRS2) (DWA, 2014) proved to be a long and convoluted process.