Picture: Sophie Enders

The North East CMA, together with our project partners are delighted to announce the full-day Forum, that will take place at the Quality Hotel Wangaratta Gateway.

The Forum will share the outcomes and findings from Bush for Birds, our $5M five-year project aimed at restoring habitat for the Regent honeyeater and Swift parrot. It will examine the current state of our Grassy Woodlands ecosystem and compare them against growing trends in climate change, human activity and biodiversity decline.

The Forum will ask, what do these ecosystems need for their future restoration, conservation and persistence in our landscape?

The line-up of speakers will cover topics including findings across Bush for Birds project, the importance of volunteers, ecological thinning, cultural burning and pest control; and it will help delegates to feel better prepared to meet the growing needs of these threatened ecosystems.

Stay tuned across coming weeks as we announce a great line-up of speakers, joining our keynotes - David Lindenmeyer and David Watson, who will be our dinner speaker.

David Lindenmayer, Professor of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Australian National University

Professor Lindenmayer is a world-leading expert in forest ecology and resource management, conservation science, and biodiversity conservation, and is one of Australia’s most-published authors of scientific papers in the field of ecology. He currently runs five large-scale, long-term research programs in south-eastern Australia, primarily associated with developing ways to conserve biodiversity in farmland, wood production forests, plantations, and reserves.

David Watson, Professor in Ecology, Charles Sturt University

PLEASE NOTE: David Watson will be the keynote speaker at the forum dinner only

Professor Watson is a leading researcher across three main areas: managing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes; developing reliable ways to monitor the environment; and the ecology of parasitic plants. With a focus on bird ecology, most of his research is applied, aimed at understanding how ecosystems work and using that evidence to improve management of natural systems.

The conference is supported by North East Catchment Management Authority (CMA) with funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Do you need accommodation?

If you need accommodation, book at the link below:

Quality Hotel Wangaratta Gateway - Wangaratta Hotel Accommodation

Link to the full program here