W.E. Wood Public Lecture 2025
Description
Attendance: Please register for this in-person event for catering purposes. For those unable to attend, a recording* of the lecture will be made available by the host following the event.
Join us on Thursday, 6 November 2025, to celebrate Dr Hayley Norman, this year’s W.E. Wood Award recipient, as she shares her insights in a public lecture titled “Cultivating the Margins: Incorporating Saline Landscapes into Modern Farming Systems.”
About the lecture
Dryland salinity remains a persistent challenge in Western Australia. Although stabilised in some areas, water tables continue to rise across the Wheatbelt. First recognised by W.E. Wood in the 1920s, over 1.75 million hectares are now affected. Over 25 years of salinity research, I have observed a “cycle of grief” in community, policy and industry responses—ranging from denial and frustration, through bargaining to acceptance.
We will have to continue to live with salinity; this talk focuses on the acceptance phase and explores opportunities to utilise salt-affected land to enhance the profitability and resilience of mixed farming systems. Examples such as the development of Anameka™ saltbush demonstrate the potential of targeted research, novel thinking, ‘wise’ sheep and multidisciplinary collaboration. Saltland forage systems can help manage soil salinity in situ, support biodiversity, and reduce production risks during drought and heatwaves.
Emerging technologies, including automation and virtual fencing, enable more flexible and precise management of saline landscapes. Integrating biodiversity conservation, carbon markets, and new production systems can return economic and environmental value to degraded land. Saltland pastures offer opportunities to maintain sheep that would once have been exported. Focussing biodiversity plantations and carbon on saline land has the advantages of conserving productive cropping soils and links across the landscape through valley floor systems. To unlock this potential, we must not cycle back to denial. Renewed investment, capacity building, and long-term research and data collection are needed to restore productivity and landscape integrity.
About the Speaker
Dr Hayley Norman is a Senior Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. With over 25 years of experience in salinity research, she focuses on revegetating saline landscapes to deliver both productive and ecological benefits. Hayley led the team that commercialised Anameka™ saltbush, integrating farming systems modelling and livestock nutrition research to enhance on-farm value. Her current work expands shrub and understorey options for saline and leaky soils in the WA Wheatbelt and explores how saltbush systems improve microclimates and reduce heat and cold stress in sheep.
Dr Norman chairs the WA Soil and Land Conservation Council and serves on the WA Livestock Research Council, the WA Crawford Fund, and the UWA Institute of Agriculture Advisory Board. Hayley is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Murdoch University. Outside of work, she enjoys time at Rottnest Island and creating jewellery in her sand-casting studio.
About the W.E. Wood Award
The W.E. Wood Award honours outstanding contributions to the understanding and management of water processes and land management in Western Australia. The award was restarted in 2024 after a gap of 20 years, at the initiative of the previous award winners and to coincide with the centenary of the first publication on Australian salinity processes. Originally focused on dryland salinity, the award has expanded its scope to include all aspects of water management, reflecting the critical challenges faced in agriculture, environmental sustainability, and societal impacts. For more information, visit the website: https://www.uwaceep.org/wood-award
* Please note that photography and video recording will take place during this event. By attending, you acknowledge and consent to being photographed, filmed, and/or recorded. These materials may be used by UWA and its partners for promotional, educational, and reporting purposes including publication on websites, social media channels, newsletters, and other communication platforms. If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, please inform a member of the event staff at the registration desk upon arrival.
Co-Hosts Information
Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy
Centre for Water and Spatial Science
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