Romeo Lahey Memorial Lecture 2026

The National Parks Association of Qld (NPAQ) invites you to the 2026 Romeo Lahey Memorial Lecture "Beyond area: Why Australia’s protected areas aren’t delivering for biodiversity and what needs to change", given by Professor James Watson from the University of Queensland.

The Romeo Lahey Memorial Lecture honours the principal founder of NPAQ, Romeo Lahey, who remained President for more than three decades and was instrumental in convincing the Queensland Government to declare many of the National Parks gazetted from the 1930s to 1970s.

Professor James Watson will examine the growth of Australia's protected areas—now covering more than 22% of the continent—and highlight examples of protected areas that are making a big difference. He will also show that the overall picture is problematic, with gains in protection that have not focused on areas of importance to biodiversity. Professor Watson will argue that achieving “30×30” will require far more strategic, biodiversity-focused conservation planning, and he will outline some thinking on how we can do this.

A light morning tea and refreshments will follow the lecture. We hope to see you there.