Proof of Life – A Wetlands Symposium @TWCC
Description
PROOF OF LIFE
Understanding Biodiversity to Guide Wetland Restoration in South West Australia
Date: Monday 25 May 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM AWST
Location: The Wetlands Centre Cockburn, 184 Hope Road, Bibra Lake WA 6163
Wetlands are living systems, but understanding whether they are thriving, under pressure or beginning to recover takes close observation, field knowledge and science that can be translated into practical management. Proof of Life brings together researchers from Murdoch University’s Harry Butler Institute and Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems for a one-day symposium focused on the biodiversity of wetlands across the South West and the science needed to underpin their management.
This symposium grows directly out of a shared interest in applied wetland science with real management relevance. Across the day, researchers will explore the species and ecological communities that help tell the story of wetland condition. The program includes experts presenting on macroinvertebrates, crayfish, plants, fish including controlling feral species, mussels, turtles and novel habitats.
Together, these sessions build a practical picture of how wetlands function, what threatens them, and what can be done to better support native biodiversity. The program also includes a session on potential interventions to improve biodiversity in anthropogenic wetlands, focused on woody debris bundles and plague minnow control, as well as a broader presentation from BoorYul-Bah-Bilya on wetlands, catchment restoration and cultural significance.
Who should attend
Environmental science and ecology students, local government environment and natural area staff, wetland managers, restoration practitioners, environmental consultants, Friends groups, conservation volunteers, citizen scientists, and anyone with a serious interest in wetland biodiversity and freshwater management. This symposium offers a rare chance to hear directly from the people doing the work.
Program
Please note: presentation sessions are designed as half-hour sessions, with approximately 20–25 minutes for each presentation followed by 5–10 minutes for questions and discussion.
Time | Session | Details |
|---|---|---|
9:00 AM – 9:15 AM | Welcome and tea/coffee | Arrival, registration and opening remarks from The Wetlands Centre Cockburn. |
9:15 AM – 9:30 AM | Opening overview | Associate Professor Stephen Beatty sets the scene for the day: Understanding Biodiversity to Guide Wetland Restoration in South West Australia and the role of science in supporting management. |
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Macroinvertebrates | Associate Professor Belinda Robson examines why macroinvertebrates matter, what they reveal about wetland health, and how they help us understand ecological change in freshwater systems. |
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Crayfish | Dr Holly Emery-Butcher explores urban wetlands, native and invasive crayfish, and what crayfish can tell us about wetland condition and biodiversity pressures. |
10:30 AM – 10:50 AM | Morning tea | |
10:50 AM – 11:20 AM | Aquatic plants | Dr Jane Chambers considers the role of plants in wetland habitat quality, ecological function and support for aquatic biodiversity. |
11:20 AM – 11:50 AM | Fish, biodiversity and controls | Tom Ryan and Cindy Palermo explore the impact of invasive fish on wetland condition, the major control program occurring across the Swan Coastal Plain, and the conditions needed to support better biodiversity outcomes. |
11:50 AM – 12:20 PM | Mussels and freshwater refuge systems | Dr Alan Cottingham and Jake Daviot focus on freshwater mussels, refuge habitats and what these species can tell us about long-term wetland persistence under increasing environmental pressure. |
12:20 PM – 12:50 PM | Turtles and management intervention | April Sturm presents on artificial incubation of turtle eggs as a management strategy, including new findings and implications for conservation practice. |
12:50 PM – 1:30 PM | Lunch | |
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM | BoorYul-Bah-Bilya: wetlands, catchment restoration and cultural significance | Walter McGuire OAM & Francesca Flynn from the Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association present on the BoorYul-Bah-Bilya program and its work across the Mandoon Bilya catchment, including restoration, cultural mapping, biodiversity surveys, community reconnection and Aboriginal ranger-led work on Country. |
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM | Potential interventions to improve biodiversity in anthropogenic wetlands | Associate Professor Belinda Robson and Dr Ed Chester discuss woody debris bundles as a habitat intervention and the potential for plague minnow control in anthropogenic wetlands to support biodiversity. |
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Panel discussion, audience questions, closing and networking | A final shared discussion bringing together the day’s science, management, cultural perspectives and practical insights. |
What to expect
A full day of applied wetland science from researchers working across biodiversity, aquatic ecology and management.
Species-focused sessions on macroinvertebrates, crayfish, plants, fish, mussels and turtles as key parts of the wetland story.
Practical management relevance, with discussion centred on habitat quality, controls, interventions and biodiversity outcomes.
An opportunity to connect researchers, practitioners, students and community members who care deeply about the future of wetlands.
Presenters
Associate Professor Stephen Beatty
Associate Professor Belinda Robson
Dr Holly Emery-Butcher
Dr Jane Chambers
Tom Ryan
Cindy Palermo
Dr Alan Cottingham
Jake Daviot
April Sturm
Dr Ed Chester
Francesca Flynn / Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association
See full presenter bios below.
Presented in Partnership
Proof of Life is presented by The Wetlands Centre Cockburn in partnership with researchers from the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems – Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University.
Sponsor
This event is supported by Community Bank Fremantle – Bendigo Bank as part of The Wetlands Centre’s wetland symposium series.
Join us for a day of wetland science, biodiversity insight and practical management thinking.
If you want to understand what species can tell us about wetland condition, how biodiversity can be supported, and what applied science looks like in action, this symposium is not to be missed.
Presenters
Associate Professor Stephen Beatty
Director, Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University Associate Professor Stephen Beatty is Director of Murdoch University’s Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems within the Harry Butler Institute. His research focuses on the conservation of inland aquatic ecosystems, with a strong emphasis on applied work that can improve outcomes for wetlands, rivers and their fauna. His work spans freshwater ecology, fish, crayfish, mussels, water quality, introduced species and climate change impacts. Across south-western Australia he has led and contributed to research that links biodiversity science with practical management, helping government, practitioners and communities better understand and protect aquatic ecosystems.
Tom Ryan
Fish, biodiversity and controls Tom Ryan is a researcher with the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems in the Harry Butler Institute at Murdoch University. His work focuses on aquatic ecology, particularly fish movement, habitat use and the effects of environmental barriers on aquatic systems. He has contributed to research on estuarine fish ecology, fish mortality risk and the ways altered waterways influence biodiversity and ecosystem health. With experience spanning research and fish management, Tom brings a practical and applied perspective to aquatic science. His work supports a better understanding of how fish respond to changing environments and how freshwater systems can be managed to support native biodiversity.
Cindy Palermo
Cindy Palermo is a researcher with Murdoch University’s Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems within the Harry Butler Institute. Her work sits at the intersection of aquatic ecology, fish health and freshwater management, with experience spanning invasive fish, aquatic pathogens and biodiversity monitoring. She has contributed to Murdoch-led projects on feral fish removal and disease assessment in wetlands across Western Australia, including work on koi carp, goldfish and associated parasite risks. Cindy has also been involved in science outreach and STEM engagement through Murdoch University. At this symposium, she joins the fish session, contributing to discussion on invasive fish control and improving biodiversity outcomes in wetland systems.
Dr Jane Chambers
Aquatic plants and wetland habitat Dr Jane Chambers is a wetland ecologist with more than 30 years of experience in wetland research, management and restoration in Western Australia and internationally. She is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental and Conservation Sciences at Murdoch University and Director of NatureLink Perth. Her work centres on wetland ecology, water-sensitive urban design and the ways ecological knowledge can support more biodiverse and liveable landscapes. In this symposium she brings that expertise to the role of aquatic plants in wetland habitat quality, ecological function and support for freshwater biodiversity.
Associate Professor Belinda Robson
Macroinvertebrates, freshwater ecology and applied biodiversity management Associate Professor Belinda Robson is an internationally recognised freshwater ecologist who has been publishing research on freshwater ecosystems since last century. She is Editor in Chief of Freshwater Biology, the highest-ranked freshwater ecology journal globally, and a past President of the Australian Freshwater Sciences Society. Her research focuses on the impacts of climatic drying on freshwater biodiversity and the conservation, restoration and management of rivers and wetlands. She has authored more than 95 books, papers and chapters, and continues to lead important work on drought refuges and practical methods to support native freshwater species.
Dr Ed Chester
Applied habitat interventions Dr Ed Chester is a Research Fellow with the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems in the Harry Butler Institute at Murdoch University. He is an aquatic ecologist whose work focuses on freshwater ecosystems, dry season refuges, flow-regime change and environmental sustainability. His research examines how aquatic communities persist and recover in intermittent and changing waterways, with a particular interest in the ecological consequences of altered water regimes. Through his work, he contributes to a stronger understanding of how freshwater habitats function under pressure and how research can inform more effective conservation and management of aquatic ecosystems in south-western Australia.
Dr Holly Emery-Butcher
Crayfish and wetland biodiversity Dr Holly Emery-Butcher has an ongoing passion for crustaceans and freshwater ecosystems. She completed her undergraduate degree, Honours and PhD at Murdoch University and now works as a Senior Scientist with Indo-Pacific Environmental while also teaching with Murdoch University. Her research explores climate drying, endemic freshwater macrocrustaceans and the ecology of native and invasive crayfish in urban wetlands. Her work has examined how natural and anthropogenic wetlands support crayfish, what habitat features influence their distribution, and how urban wetland settings may favour or disadvantage native biodiversity.
Dr Alan Cottingham
Mussels, aquatic ecosystems and monitoring Dr Alan Cottingham is a Research Fellow at Murdoch University’s Harry Butler Institute. His research focuses on conserving aquatic ecosystems and improving understanding of how human pressures and climate change affect south-western Australia’s unique aquatic fauna. He works across freshwater biodiversity, water quality and practical solutions that help sustain important ecosystems. His recent work includes freshwater mussels and biomonitoring, including new technologies that use mussel behaviour as an early warning system for aquatic stress and fish kills. At this symposium he contributes expertise on mussels, refuge systems and aquatic ecosystem monitoring.
Jake Daviot
Freshwater mussels and refuge systems Jake Daviot is a researcher with the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems at Murdoch University whose work focuses on freshwater mussels and the role of refuge habitats in supporting native species under drying climatic conditions. His recent research has explored whether anthropogenic wetlands can support threatened freshwater mussel populations and examined the ecological services these species provide within freshwater systems. He has also contributed to applied wetland and river monitoring projects in Western Australia. At Proof of Life he supports the mussels and freshwater refuge systems session with a focus on persistence, habitat quality and biodiversity outcomes.
Francesca Flynn
Francesca Flynn is Executive Director of Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association and an environmental scientist and program manager with 18 years of experience in contaminated land assessment and remediation. She is the founder of Evergreen Consultancy WA, a boutique consultancy specialising in strategic project development for the environment and tourism sectors. Francesca was previously WA Geoscience and Remediation Lead at a global engineering firm, where she managed a team of 30 scientists and an annual portfolio of $15 million. Along with Greg Ugle, she is co-creator of the BoorYul-Bah-Bilya program and oversees its development and implementation with the BNAA Board and Senior Elders.
April Sturm
April Sturm is a researcher affiliated with Murdoch University’s Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems within the Harry Butler Institute. Her work is connected to aquatic ecosystem research and conservation in south-western Western Australia, and she is part of the broader Murdoch research environment led through the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems. The Centre’s work focuses on healthy, biodiverse and productive aquatic ecosystems and on practical solutions for protecting aquatic environments. At this symposium, April will contribute to the turtle management component of the program, presenting on artificial incubation of turtle eggs as a management strategy and its implications for conservation practice.
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