Rewilding Central Victoria Symposium

Rewilding is propelling nature repair around the world but isn’t used widely in Victoria. Biolinks Alliance’s Rewilding Central Victoria Symposium is set to catalyse the practical delivery of rewilding, scaling-up urgent action in our region and beyond.

Bringing together internationally recognised researchers from leading institutions (like University of Melbourne), experts in their fields, and restoration practitioners working on exemplar projects (like Marna Banggara and Mt Rothwell Sanctuary), this Symposium includes:

Friday 13 September
- 13 presentations with catering provided at La Trobe University, Bendigo (9.00am to 4.30pm)
- Symposium networking drinks and 2-course seated dinner at All Seasons Hotel, Bendigo (5.30pm to 9pm)

Saturday 14 September
- Rewilding project site visits, including to our Spring Plains Pilot Project and Korong Ridge Conservation Reserve, with catering provided (8.30am to 4pm)

Note: Symposium Dinner ticket sales and Symposium (Day 1) ticket sales end Wednesday 4 September at 4pm.

Photo credit for Eastern Barred Bandicoot (in banner at top): ©Dave Watts

	Friday 13th September: La Trobe University, Bendigo Campus
8:30am - 9:30am	Arrival, coffee and tea followed by a Welcome to Country by Jason Kerr, DJAARA and Symposium introduction by Biolinks Alliance Executive Director Dr Sophie Bickford.
9:30am - 10:30am	Marna Banggara "Rewilding the Southern Yorke Peninsula" Derek Sandow (Northern and Yorke Landscape Board), followed by morning tea
10:30am - 12:30pm	"Improving translocations of endangered orchids through unravelling their ecology" Dr Noushka Reiter (Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria) "Ecological and cultural benefits of fire in grassy ecosystems" Amos Atkinson (Wannyarra Woka) "Keys to the Biodiverse City" Prof Nick Williams (University of Melbourne) "Rewilding invertebrates and microbes for improved biodiversity and ecosystem function" Dr Peter Contos (La Trobe University) "Panel discussion - The varied roles of predators in rewilding" Annette Rypalski (Odonata Foundation), Dr Bronwyn Hradsky (University of Melbourne), Kelly Ann Blake (La Trobe University). Discussion moderated by Dr Chris Pocknee (Biolinks Alliance).
12:30pm - 1.15pm	Lunch
1.15pm - 3pm	"Restoring function to degraded Box-Ironbark Forests - Spring Plains Watershed Repair Project" Dr Paul Foreman (Biolinks Alliance/Blue Devil Consulting), Daniel Young (TREC Land Services) "How did the Bandicoot cross the road? A case study in effective road ecology solutions" Tricia Stewart (Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria) "Wilderhoods: rewilding urban neighbourhoods" Dr Cassia Read (Castlemaine Institute) “Rewilding Victoria at a landscape and local scale – a Trust for Nature perspective” Dr Doug Robinson (Trust For Nature) "Rewilding our waterways: native fish reintroduction in Central Victoria" Dr Peter Rose (North Central CMA)
3pm - 3:15pm	Afternoon tea
3:15pm - 4:30pm	"Recovering Eastern Barred Bandicoots: past, present and future" Dr Duncan Sutherland (Phillip Island Nature Parks) "Mt Rothwell Sanctuary - a safe haven for threatened species" Annette Rypalski (Odonata Foundation)
4:30pm - 4.45pm	Symposium close - Dr Sophie Bickford (Biolinks Alliance)
	Friday 13th September: Symposium Dinner, All Seasons Hotel Bendigo
5:30pm - 6:30pm	Pre-dinner networking and drinks
6:30pm - 9pm	2-course seated dinner Keynote Presentation: "The Time is Now: Rewilding aquatic species to improve biodiversity and ecosystem function" Lance Lloyd (Winton Wetlands)
	Saturday 14th September: Site visits. Bus departing from All Seasons Hotel Bendigo
8:30am - 11am	Bus departing All Seasons Hotel Bendigo at 8:30am to Spring Plains Nature Conservation Reserve, Heathcote. Presented by Dr Chris Pocknee, Cameron O'Mara and Dr Sophie Bickford (Biolinks Alliance).
11am - 1pm	Lunch and travel via bus to second site
1pm - 3pm	Site visit to Korong Ridge. Presented by Trudy and James Nelsson.
3pm - 4pm	Afternoon tea and travel. Bus returning to the All Seasons Hotel Bendigo.