Dr Vicky Stokes, WA Program Manager, BirdLife Australia

                    Sarah Way, Owner/Operator, Ways to Nature

9 Ormsby Terrace, Mandurah WA 6210.

            AM Tour: 9.30am – 12.30pm

            PM Tour: 2.00pm – 5.00pm

            Delegates should arrive at least 15 minutes early to board the Dancing Dolphin

                    Rick James, Coordinator, Wetlands Science and Management, Peel-Harvey Catchment Council

9 Ormsby Terrace, Mandurah WA 6210.

            AM Tour: 9.30am – 12.00noon

            PM Tour: 1.30pm – 4.00pm

            Delegates should arrive at least 15 minutes early to board the bus

George will be joined by Peel-Harvey Catchment Council’s Coordinator Wetlands Science and Management, Rick James. Learn about Lake Clifton’s thrombolites – what they are, the key threats they face, and the work being undertaken to understand and protect them. Rick will discuss current research projects around the thrombolites and the questions keeping scientists up at night, like how do we know whether thrombolites are alive or not, and how this Threatened Ecological Community is affected by a drying climate and increasing salinity of the lake.

¹City of Mandurah

²Mandurah Volunteer Dolphin Rescue

³Coastal Waste Warriors

⁴Mandurah Cruises

⁵Peel-Harvey Catchment Council

⁶Mandurah Volunteer Dolphin Rescue

⁷Volunteer

⁸Murdoch University

⁹Tackle World Miami

¹⁰Estuary Guardians

¹Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Rivers and Estuaries Branch

²City of Swan

¹City of Bayswater

²Friends of Bardon Park Wetland

¹Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Broome,

²School of Indigenous Studies, University of Western Australia, Dalkeith

³School of Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup

⁴School of Geography, University of Quebec a Montreal

¹Mandjoogoordap Dreaming

²Department of Water and Environmental Regulation

Delegates can attend one workshop during the concurrent session. Please select two preferences from the following five workshops and number from 1 to 2 on the registration form (1 equals your highest preference). Workshops will be filled on a first-come basis following registration.

This fast growing aquatic weed can quickly invade any waterway, obstructing drainage networks or stream flow, and threatening the stormwater infrastructure. The weed species can form dense mats that choke native aquatic plants and impact the wetland ecosystem and food webs. It can also provide a good habitat for mosquitoes, increase vector mosquito populations and the mosquito borne disease risk. If Amazon Frogbit spreads out of control in Western Australia, not only can it impact both environmental and human health it also can cause economic impacts. More data is needed on effective control methods for this spreading invader, as current management practices are not preventing proliferation.

SERCUL has commenced a research project on Amazon Frogbit to minimise the knowledge gap and to improve management of the species. L. laevigatum was described as a floating or emergent macrophyte in most of the research. The project found that this plant can float on the water surface and also grows submerged or partly submerged or emergent. Although Amazon Frogbit originates from fresh water habitats, this study showed it can survive and vegetatively propagate in saline waters with less than 19ppt. This shows it has the potential to rapidly spread and seriously degrade our ecosystems if it is established in the Canning River or other rivers where water has fresh to brackish conditions.

This workshop will share this, and additional, knowledge that we gained through the ex-situ experiments and possible integrated management strategies through interactive activities with live specimens. This session will also be used to educate the participants about a new aquatic weed known as Kidneyleaf mud plantain (Heteranthera reniformis), which has recently been identified in the City of Armadale.

This workshop will cover the ways in which wetlands are perceived by the general public and how science communication, education and eco-tourism can change these perceptions for the better. It will also cover the pro’s and con’s of tourism in wetlands, and the hurdles that can be faced when operating in fragile environments.

Following two seasons, the program is sparking interest from nearby councils, land management groups and the broader community, but to roll the program out to other lakes some changes to its current structure will be needed.

In this workshop we will discuss the pros and cons of the 2019 & 2020 Turtle Tracker program, the challenges facing its roll out beyond Bibra Lake, and workshop different scenarios for future management of this program.

Theme Leader: Ecosystems and Invasive Species, Research Associate Western Australian Museum, Adjunct Institute of Agriculture University of Western Australia

Eryn Jackson, City of Mandurah

Cory Kennedy, City of Mandurah

Using a mobile mapping application, we establish “polygons” (or “areas”) with the same weed cover value using 5 categories. We then record the native and weed species present within each area. The information recorded in the field is incorporated directly from the mapping application into a Geographic Information System (GIS), which can be used by land managers, traditional owners and others to make informed decisions on where and how to manage weed species and restore ecosystems.

Post management, we return to the “polygons” and again record the weed cover value and weed and native species present. We can measure ecological change, both by weed cover value and weed species present over time. In addition, we keep a record of funds spent in managing and or restoring that area, including volunteer time, and make a calculation to understand how successful our weed work has been.

This “Success Indicator” is based on the ecological change and the economic investment in the area. With this Success Indicator we have a highly effective understanding of our weed management and restoration and are able to adapt our approaches based on a quantitative understanding of how effective our management has been.

The workshop will outline to participants the approach used, including an interactive demonstration of the mapping application, and transfer of data into the GIS system and how this biodiversity dataset is guiding the management of City of Mandurah Reserves.

The workshop will be highly interactive with the aim of guiding those who wish to utilise this approach in the restoration and management of their wetlands, Ramsar sites and TEC’s. There will be ample time for discussion and explanation of the benefits of this approach to management and restoration.

Based on the results of a water quality monitoring program management options should consider space, expense/difficulty, maintenance requirements, community perception, Aboriginal heritage implications, as well as the source of contamination. Post-installation monitoring of water quality management systems will also allow an assessment of their cost-benefit to determine the usefulness of similar systems in the future.