Conference Schedule

Wetlands and Human Wellbeing: Nurturing Our Natural Connection

Please find below the Conference Schedule as it stands currently. The line-up may be subject to minor changes.

Last edited: 31.01.2023 6:00pm

 

The 20th Annual Western Australian Wetlands Conference 2024 .
Scientific Innovation, Cultural Wisdom, Artistic Vision and Collective Action towards Wetlands and Human Wellbeing: Nurturing Our Natural Connection
Location:The Wetlands Centre Cockburn
184 Hope Road, Bibra Lake, WA 6163
Date:1st to 2nd February 2024
StartEnd          TimeTitleSpeaker/sOrganisationTopic
DAY 1MorningThu 1stFebTHE FLOODPLAINS SESSION
7:30 AM8:30 AM60minSpecial Walking Tour of Bibra Lake and BirdwatchingOptional activity (walking shoes required) —
Arrive at 7:15 am for a 7:30 am start.
8:45 AM9:00 AM15minWELCOME TO COUNTRYRobyn Collard supported by Tryse Rioli
9:00 AM9:10 AM10minCONFERENCE OPENINGOpening by Hon. Peter Tinley AM, MLA
9:10 AM9:15 AM10minAcknowledgement of SponsorsProf. Treena Burgess, Chair, The Wetlands Centre
9:20 AM10:00 AM45minKeynoteAssoc. Professor Robyn HeckenbergDean of Learning and Teaching,
Centre for Aboriginal Studies, Curtin University		Story, Place and Identity Within Contemporary Contexts of
Eco-Theology and Saving Our Planet
10:00 AM10:30 AM30minMorning Tea / Networking🍰 🍩 ☕ 🍵 🍨 
10:30 AM11:00 AM30minExpert / Case Study Presentations – Round 1Choose to attend any one of the 3 presentations below
10:30 AM11:00 AM30minExpert PresentationDr. Essie RogersSchool of Environmental and
Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University		Linking Wetland Ecosystem Health to Improved Human Wellbeing:
A Win-Win Opportunity
10:30 AM11:00 AM30minExpert PresentationEm CharltonFounder of the Bottle Top Hill volunteer-run community group.Bottle Top Hill: A Grassroots Movement 'Taking It to The Top'
With The 12r's
10:30 AM11:00 AM30minCase Study PresentationRyan FlintEnvironmental Officer, City of StirlingSocial Media vs Wetland Biodiversity
11:05 AM11:35 AM30minExpert / Case Study Presentations – Round 2Choose to attend any one of the 3 presentations below
11:05 AM11:35 AM30minCase Study PresentationDr. Ben RoennfeldtLecturer, South Metropolitan TAFE, Honorary Research Fellow of the Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch UniversityWetland Thievery and Piracy Through the Eyes of a Drone
11:05 AM11:35 AM30minCase Study PresentationSedigheh Ghafari KondariPhD Candidate, Rehabilitation of Arid and
Mountainous Regions, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran – Murdoch University		Assessing Water Governance for Livelihoods: Social Relations and Conflict Interactions in the Hoor al-Azim Wetland, Karkheh Basin
11:05 AM11:35 AM30minExpert PresentationAnthony SantoroProject Manager, Saving Our Snake-Necked Turtle project. Murdoch UniversityThe Saving Our Snake-Necked Turtle Project – Two-Year Update
11:40 AM12:10 PM30minExpert/Case Study Presentations – Round 3Choose to attend any one of the 3 presentations below
11:40 AM12:10 PM30minExpert PresentationAdrian PinderEcosystem Science Program Leader, DBCADesert Wetlands: Just Add Water
11:40 AM12:10 PM30minCase Study PresentationRebecca CooperEnvironment Officer, City of BayswaterWorking Together to Manage a Threatened Ecological Community
11:40 AM12:10 PM30minCase Study PresentationJoyce Gadalon and
Robyn Walsh		Turtle Trackers, City of CockburnTrack Your Way: A Volunteer’s Perspective –
Saving Our Snake-Necked Turtle (SOSNT) Project
12:10 PM1:10 PM60minLunch / Networking🍽️ 🥘 🥗 🥪 🍢 🍴
DAY 1AfternoonThu 1stFebTHE MANGROVES SESSION OrganisationTopic
1:10 PM2:25 PM75minArtists meet the Scientists – Round 1Choose to attend any one of the 2 forums below
1:10 PM2:25 PM75minForum 1 – Part 1Prof Mindy Blaise & Artists; Centre for People Place and Planet, ECUMr Trevor Ryan, Dr Liz Edmonds,

Mrs Sabrina Dowling Giudici
& Mr Anton Blume

Art and Science: Exhibits and Actions
Exhibitions and Performances Presenting Expressions and
Perspectives of Wetlands:
1:10 PM2:25 PM75minForum 2Marie Mitchell, Sharon Meredith, Stephne Sands & Alana GrantIndependent Artists, MandurahWetland Stories Presented Through Video, Audio and
Interactive Displays
2:25 PM3:05 PM30minAfternoon Tea / Networking🍰 🍩 ☕ 🍵 🍨
3:05 PM4:20 PM75minArtists meet the Scientists – Round 2Choose to attend any one of the 2 forums belowNote: Attendees of Forum 1 required to join Part 2 in this session
3:05 PM4:20 PM75minForum 1 – Part 2Prof Mindy Blaise & Artists; Centre for People Place and Planet, ECUMr Trevor Ryan, Dr Liz Edmonds,

Mrs Sabrina Dowling Giudici
& Mr Anton Blume

Art, Science and Wetland Knowledges
Panel Discussion on Exhibitions and Performances
Presenting Expressions and Perspectives of Wetlands
3:05 PM4:20 PM75minForum 3Lakshmi Kanchi &
Invited Artists		Miriam Wei Wei Lo, David Whish-Wilson,
Liana Joy Christensen and Angela Rossen		Wetland Whispers:
Contemporary Arts as a Lens for Environmental Empathy
4:30 PM5:15 PM45minPlenary Session –
Sharing the Learnings		Informal Discussion with presenters (Optional Attendance)
5:15 PM6:15 PM60minSUNDOWNER🌅 🍻🍷🍸🍹 

 

 

 

 

 

DAY 2MorningFri 2ndFebTHE BILLABONGS SESSIONOrganisationTopic
7:30 AM8:30 AM60minSpecial walking tour of the Roe 8 Revegetation siteOptional activity (walking shoes required) —

Arrive at 7:15 am for a 7:30 am start.

8:45 AM8:50 AM5minACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRYLakshmi Kanchi, Chair, WA Poets Inc
8:50 AM9:00 AM10minOPENING OF DAY 2 – WA WETLANDS CONFERENCEOpening by Hon. Dr. Brad Pettitt MLC
9:00 AM9:05 AM10minAcknowledgement of SponsorsMichael Coote
WA Wetlands Conference Convenor		 
9:05 AM9:15 AM10minWORLD WETLANDS DAYDr. Jane Chambers, Murdoch University
9:15 AM10:00 AM45minKeynoteGreg KeigheryWestern Australian Herbarium, Dept. Biodiversity, Conservation and AttractionsWater Is Life in Our Dry State
10:00 AM10:10 AM10minPoster PresentationShu Tong LiuPhD Candidate, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western AustraliaLeaf Phosphorus Allocation to Chemical Fractions and its Seasonal Variation in South-Western Australia
10:10 AM10:45 AM30minMorning Tea / Networking🍰 🍩 ☕ 🍵 🍨
10:45 AM11:15 AM30minExpert / Case Study Presentations – Round 1Choose to attend any one of the 3 presentations below
10:45 AM11:15 AM30minExpert PresentationRick JamesWetlands Officer, DBCA MandurahThe Vegetation Dynamics of Ephemeral Wetlands
10:45 AM11:15 AM30minExpert PresentationThilo KrugerPhD Candidate, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin UniversityPrecarious Suckers: The Bladderworts of the Cape Le Grand-Mandooweernup Wetlands
10:45 AM11:15 AM30minCase Study PresentationKim NguyenSenior Aquatic Ecologist, Biologic Environmental SurveyAquatic and Terrestrial Invertebrate Survey of the
Maylands Samphire Flats
11:20 AM11:50 AM30minExpert / Case Study Presentations – Round 2Choose to attend any one of the 3 presentations below
11:20 AM11:50 AM30minCase Study PresentationAndy WilliamsProject Officer, Rivers and Estuaries Branch. DBCAAshfield Flats Master Plan
11:20 AM11:50 AM30minExpert PresentationDr. Konrad MiotlinskiGeoscientist, UWAEcological Indicators of Fire Disturbance Affecting Water Quality in Wetlands
11:20 AM11:50 AM30minExpert PresentationBrianna SullivanAquatic Scientist, Aquatic Ecology Group, StantecThe Most Outwardly Wetlands: Current Studies and Future Prospects in Salt Lake Ecology
11:55 AM12:25 PM30minExpert / Case Study Presentations – Round 3Choose to attend any one of the 3 presentations below
11:55 AM12:25 PM30minCase Study PresentationNii Amarquaye CommeyOceanographer and Studying Engineering at University of Yamanashi, JapanWetland–Catchment Sustainability: The Case of the Sakumo Ramsar Site, Ghana
11:55 AM12:25 PM30minExpert PresentationAssoc. Prof. Alan LymberyDirector, Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute,
Murdoch University		Rivers And Wetlands of The South-West: A Tragedy in Four Acts
11:55 AM12:25 PM30minCase Study PresentationAdj. Assoc. Prof. Dan CarterUWA, Friends of South Perth WetlandsA Partnership of a Friends Group and Local Council on
The Rehabilitation of Foreshore Wetlands
12:25 PM1:10 PM45minLunch / Networking🍽️ 🥘 🥗 🥪 🍢 🍴
DAY 2AfternoonFri 2ndFebTHE MARSHES SESSIONOrganisationTopic
1:10 PM1:55 PM45minKeynoteProfessor Pierre HorwitzCentre for People, Place and Planet, ECUTrends in Ecology – Comments on Resolved and Unresolved Matters
1:55 PM2:10 PM15minPoster PresentationLingling ChenPhD Candidate, School of Biological Sciences, UWAPhosphorus-Acquisition Strategies of Acacia Pulchella and Acacia Lasiocarpa in Contrasting Habitats
2:10 PM2:20 PM10minSet Up Concurrent presentation venues
2:20 PM2:50 PM30minExpert Presentations – Round 4Choose to attend any one of the 3 presentations below
2:20 PM2:50 PM30minExpert PresentationDr. Alan CottinghamResearch Fellow at Harry Butler Institute,
Murdoch University		Canaries Off the Coastline as A Fish Kill Early Warning System
2:20 PM2:50 PM30minExpert PresentationAssoc. Prof.
Belinda Robson		School of Environmental and
Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University		Restoration Of Urban Wetlands for Dragonfly Biodiversity
2:20 PM2:50 PM30minExpert PresentationApril SturmPhD Candidate, Murdoch UniversityIdentifying Conditions for Ex-Situ Incubation of Freshwater Turtle (Chelodina oblonga) Eggs to Optimise Hatching Success
2:50 PM3:20 PM30minAfternoon Tea / Networking🍰 🍩 ☕ 🍵 🍨
3:20 PM4:40 PM80minWorkshopsChoose to attend any one of the 4 workshops below
3:20 PM4:40 PM80minWorkshop 1Shane HerbertLeader, eDNA Frontiers Group,
Curtin University		Everything You Wanted to Know About eDNA-Based Monitoring
3:20 PM4:40 PM80minWorkshop 2Gun DolvaProject Manager, SERCULConnecting With Nature to Improve Management of Wetlands
3:20 PM4:40 PM80minWorkshop 3Joanne FrancisIndependent Artist, Mount BarkerPainting A Picture of Wetlands Around Woogenellup
3:20 PM4:40 PM80minWorkshop 4Lanie Cottam and
Hazel Dempster		Nursery Officer, The Wetlands Centre Cockburn; Nursery Volunteer and Wildflower ExpertPlant Propagation Techniques
CLOSE OF CONFERENCE

First-Ever Conference Shuttle ServiceReducing the Conference’s Carbon Footprint by Encouraging Public Transport Use

We are excited to report that our first-ever shuttle service for The Wetlands Conference was a huge success this year. This environmentally-friendly initiative was designed to increase the use of public transport and reduce carbon emissions, and we couldn’t have…
Continue reading “First-Ever Conference Shuttle ServiceReducing the Conference’s Carbon Footprint by Encouraging Public Transport Use”…