Call for PresentationsThe 22nd Annual WA Wetlands Conference 2026

“Celebrating World Wetlands Day”

Join us at our state-of-the-art Centre amidst the Beeliar Wetlands for
The 22nd Annual Western Australian Wetlands Conference
that will be held from Thursday, 5th February to Friday, 6th February 2026

at The Wetlands Centre Cockburn, 184 Hope Road, Bibra Lake, Western Australia 6163

Call for Presentations

The WA Wetlands Conference Steering Committee invites you to present at the 22nd Annual WA Wetland Conference 2026. We're continuing our tradition of facilitating meaningful conversations on wetland topics, offering you the chance to engage with approximately 200 attendees through keynote speeches, expert session presentations, poster presentations, case studies, or workshops.

In alignment with the 2026 Ramsar theme, we welcome diverse perspectives that integrate scientific innovation, cultural wisdom, and community engagement. We aspire to bring together wetland researchers, managers, cultural leaders, and Traditional Custodians to share knowledge and insights. Our goal is to provide a platform for exchange that ensures the Conference is meaningful and informative to the widest spectrum of the community, advancing our collective understanding and stewardship of wetland ecosystems across landscapes.

Objective of our conference

“To increase knowledge, awareness, understanding and commitment to the conservation, interpretation and management of Wetlands, to provide an annual networking forum”

Conference Themes

The overarching conference theme follows the Ramsar theme for 2026 of ‘Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage.’ The two day conference is divided into 4 half-day sessions, which are set to incorporate the following focus areas – Leadership and Partnerships | Scientific Research & Innovation | Sustainability & Climate Resilience | Workshops | Case Studies & Success Stories | Reconciliation & Indigenous Knowledge | Ramsar Theme or Global Perspectives | Education, Science, Humanities & Community Engagement | Wetland Restoration, Assessment or Monitoring | Policy, Governance & Practical Management. 

We are particularly interested in presentations that:

  • Address emerging threats to wetlands with innovative solutions for conservation/recovery/resilience
  • Demonstrate new understandings in wetland ecology and hydrology
  • Highlight successful cross-sector collaborations and community-led initiatives
  • Integrate traditional knowledge with modern conservation practices
  • Present creative methods for public engagement and education about wetlands
  • Offer solutions to emerging challenges in wetland management and policy
  • Provide fresh perspectives on the cultural, social, or economic value of wetlands

Expectations from Presenters

Lecturer-Podium

For the 2026 conference, we are inviting contributions that align with the overarching Ramsar theme and those that resonate with one of our conference focus areas. When submitting abstracts, authors are requested to select the focus area that best encapsulates their presentation's essence. This assists our Conference Steering Committee in allocating accepted abstracts to the most fitting session. Please note, we may adjust session titles to seamlessly integrate accepted abstracts into the conference timetable.

To reiterate – As a criterion of our new submission process, please consider

1. The Ramsar theme for 2026

Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage

and also

2. Choose one of the following focus areas under which you'd like your presentation to be evaluated:

Leadership & Cultural Stewardship, Reconciliation & Partnership, Sustainability & Climate Resilience, Collaboration & Global Engagement, Education, Science & Community Engagement, Skills, Innovation & Knowledge Sharing.

We are keen on presentations that showcase innovative approaches to wetland recovery and resilience practices, demonstrate new understanding of aquatic ecology, exemplify the judicious use of wetlands, and highlight collaborations between government bodies, industries, communities, and educational institutions that amplify positive outcomes for wetlands. Your contribution should deepen our understanding, culture, and heritage related to wetlands and foster a recognition of their significance. Furthermore, we are also interested in current wetland initiatives, schemes, and accomplishments.

Important: In the spirit of fostering a collaborative and immersive experience, we request that all speakers/presenters must register for the conference upon acceptance of your presentation proposal. Your presence throughout the event will greatly enhance interactive discussions and engagement. Our conference format is designed to facilitate meaningful, in-depth, and diverse exchanges among all participants.

Calling all Students!
Present Your Research at the 2026 WA Wetlands Conference!

Calling all passionate university students, especially PhD candidates, studying wetlands, ecology, and environmental science! The WA Wetlands Conference invites you to showcase your research and make a real impact. This is your opportunity to connect with leading scientists, industry professionals, and environmental advocates.

Student Presentation Awards

Cash Prizes to be Won

Stand a chance to win:

  • First Prize: $1500

  • Second Prize: $500

Presentation Requirements:
  • Duration: 10-15 minutes, plus 5 minutes for questions.
  • Judging Criteria: Research significance, presentation visuals, delivery, and responses to audience questions.

Sponsored by
Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University

Conference Structure

The upcoming conference will unfold over two days, blending keynotes, expert insights, forums, and workshops. Divided into morning and afternoon sessions, our conference will comprehensively cover six focus areas including Leadership, Reconciliation and Indigenous Knowledge, Sustainability, Partnerships, and Humanities. Workshops will be a highlight, providing hands-on experiences and deeper dives into specific subjects. You are welcome to submit more than one presentation for consideration. Besides the presentation, the presenters will also be expected to join a plenary panel session. The five different types of presentations will be as follows.

Keynotes

The four keynote presentations will explore our six conference themes. Scheduled at the very start of each of the 4 half-day sessions on Days 1 & 2, they will set the context for the individual presentations that follow. We seek expressions of interest from experts to provide insights into issues, policies, research and applications surrounding wetlands. Through a one-hour session relevant to the theme, the keynote must aim to raise interest in the conference, set the tone for the program, offer fresh perspectives, inspire possibilities and summarise the core message of the conference.

Expert Presentations

Expert presentations will occur simultaneously in separate rooms and the attendees will be able to sign-up for one of the three concurrent presentations based on their interests. The presentations consist of talks in breakout rooms, on a topic specifically related to one of the themes. Research that is the basis of the expert presentation should be included along with a takeaway for attendees. The presentations should seek to engage participants in learning activities, interactive discussions, and more.

Case Studies

Case study presentations are great avenues to showcase case studies, evidence-based research, solutions-based projects and success stories that would be beneficial to both an academic and a practitioner audience. These succinct 20-minute presentation talks will be based on one of the conference themes. The presentations must be evidence-based, solutions-oriented or have artistic value, to foster and encourage attendees to take up similar initiatives for the wetlands in their undertakings and communities.

Workshops

Workshops will be held in the Afternoon session on Day 2. This session is dedicated to the practices of any aspect of wetland engineering, cultural values and technique applications which will provide an exchange of information with other professionals. Your proposed workshop should aspire to meet the aim of this session—to demonstrate skills, tools, resources, research or applications that contribute to growing, managing or sustaining wetland ecosystems.

Poster Presentations

Poster presentations provide an opportunity for researchers, practitioners, and creatives to visually showcase their projects and ideas related to wetland management and conservation. Displayed throughout the conference, posters will engage attendees during dedicated viewing sessions, offering direct interaction with presenters. Submissions should focus on innovative research, case studies, or practical solutions aligned with the conference’s key themes, highlighting clear objectives, methods, and actionable outcomes in a concise, visually compelling format.

Virtual-presentation

Virtual Presentations

If you are unable to attend the conference in-person, but wish to present and are able to do so virtually over the internet, we will consider presentations that can be delivered through Zoom. Typical features such as screen sharing, breakout rooms, chat, and polls will be made available to presenters during live sessions. This facility is currently available for Case study presentation types. Please ensure that you specify this requirement—to present virtually—in your application.

Submissions Portal

Click the link to submit your Expression of Interest or Presentation Abstract/Synopsis.

SUBMISSIONS

Submission Deadline

Call for Keynotes, Expert Presentations, Case studies and Workshops –
If you would like to be considered, please submit your Abstract or Expression of Interest before the deadline.

24th October 2025
Friday

The conference program will be finalized by the end of October and speakers will be notified of their selection, time-slots and other relevant details. If there is a particular topic that you would like to see addressed at the conference, or any specific speaker(s) that you would like to hear from, your suggestions are welcome. Please contact the organisers at conference@thewetlandscentre.org.au with your inputs by Friday, 24th October 2025.

The Audience

The conference is intended to bring together a community of volunteers, landowners, students, local and state government officers, industry and private sector environmental officers, educators, academics, community leaders, aboriginal representatives and cultural stakeholders involved with wetland-related work.

Registrations

A call for registrations will be issued mid-September. It will include details of the conference program, type of attendance (in-person/virtual) and the registration fees. Every effort will be made to keep the fees to a minimum to facilitate broad community participation. Presenters will be required to register to attend the conference.

Concessional Registration Fee for Presenters

We are pleased to offer a reduced registration fee of $60 to all presenters.

This fee provides you access to all sessions over two days of the conference including refreshments.
Please note that this is the registration fee per individual presenter.

Photographs and Recordings

Important: Please note that we retain your implicit permission to capture/record and use your photographs and video recordings during the conference.

Conference Proceedings

Papers, presentations, workshop session recordings and takeaways will be collected and made available on this website. You are welcome to review the 2025 Conference Proceedings as an example.

Sponsorship

Expressions of interest are sought for sponsorship of the 2026 conference. Please visit our sponsorship webpage to know more.

For further details
please contact the conference organisers

The Wetlands Centre Cockburn
📍 184 Hope Rd, Bibra Lake WA 6163
☎️ (08) 9417 8460
📧 conference@thewetlandscentre.org.au
🌏 www.thewetlandscentre.org.au/conference
CONTACT US
Beaded-Samphire-WA