A Leap into Biodiversity

The last remaining wetland in the Perth CBD is under threat and so we invite you gather to learn about why the biodiversity there is so important to both the human and the more-than-human worlds.

Our speakers for the occasion are: Sabrina Hahn (Master Gardener and Horticulturalist), Mandy Bamford (Research Ecologist), George Crisp (Doctors for the Environment), Daniel Jan Martin (Environmental Planner & Designer) and Natasha Pauli (Human-Environment Geographer).

A Q&A panel with Greens MP Hon Dr Brad Pettitt and other invited guests will follow our speakers.

Light refreshments will be provided, please BYO water bottle.

AT 12.45pm, AFTER THE SPEAKERS AND PANEL, WE WILL VISIT THE WETLANDS FOR A ‘WALK AND TALK’ - IF YOU HAVE NOT SCORED A TICKET PLEASE JOIN US THERE THEN!  IT WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS UNIQUE SITE AND CHILDREN ARE MORE THAN WELCOME.

BACKGROUND: The wetland was established in the Perth Cultural Centre in 2010. Children helped populate it with biodiversity as part of a 4-year fauna education program, and it is now home to multiple native frog species, aquatic invertebrates, pygmy perch, and dragonflies, as well as hosting shy wetland birds such as the Buff-Banded Rail and Little Grassbird.

The wetland is an outdoor classroom, an entertainment venue, and a reflective meeting spot for tourists and residents. It is an environmental design success, with self-sustaining benefits in the social, visual, cultural, and ecological spheres.

The State Government’s 2022 Perth Cultural Centre Masterplan highlighted the importance of water and the Wagyl, and the redevelopment design philosophy incorporated wetland elements. However, this Masterplan was scrapped, and in September 2024 an updated one was released which will demolish the wetland.

The Friends of Urban Wetlands invite you to work with us as we request the state parliament to:
1. Investigate options for retaining and incorporating the existing Wetland in the Perth Cultural Centre redevelopment plan; and
2. If the investigation supports the demolition of the Wetland, establish an equivalent or more substantial wetland green space as part of the Perth Cultural Centre redevelopment.

Our Parlimentary Petition was submitted on November 28, 2024