Events

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Field Day on the banks of the Edward/Kolety River

A highly successful field day in collaboration with the Yarkuwa indigenous Knowledge Centre and the Edward-Wakool Angling Association (EWAA) was held on December 14, on country at one of the MER Edward/Kolety-Wakool programs monitoring sites on the Edward/Kolety River, about 40km from Deniliquin. In attendance were about 40 people from Yarkuwa, EWAA, CEWO, NSW DPIE and the CSU Edward-Wakool environmental flows team. The day included explaining about the fish larval surveys, the research on turtles and sharing knowledge and experiences in a casual setting.

Workshop on the SDGs

With ILWS team support, Professor Manohar Pawar organised a two day workshop on the sustainable development goals (SDGs), held December 12 to 13, 2019, at the Charles Sturt Albury campus.

“Ten professionals from multidisciplinary background presented different chapters of the report from a Senate Inquiry in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, (published in February, 2019 and discussed its main recommendations,” says Manohar. “Drawing from the analysis and discussion, a joint authored review article is being written and it will be submitted to a peer reviewed journal for wider dissemination.”

Participants in the workshop came from CSUs Albury, Wagga Wagga, Canberra, Orange, and Sydney campuses and from all three CSU Faculties. There were Dr Belinda Cash, Dr John Rafferty, Dr Wes Ward, Dr Andrew Manning, Associate Professor Dominic O’Sullivan, Dr Ndungi Mungai, Dr Richard Culas, Dr Kiprono Langat, and Professor Manohar Pawar. Also present was Mr Dr Satyan Rajamani, a social worker from Sydney.

Living with the Hume Dam, 1919-2019

As part of the University’s Exploration Series, and with the support of the Institute, a very successful event to celebrate 100 years of living with the Hume Dam, was held at the Commercial Club, Albury, November 28, 2019.

More than 200 people attended the event, the brainchild of Institute Adjunct Professor Bruce Pennay, including the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Andy Vann.

Work began on the construction of the Hume Dam in 1919 and when it was completed in 1936 it was hailed as a nation-building project and an engineering and political achievement.

With the theme “How do we understand its history and legacy now in 2019?” the event brought together a mix of river system and dam managers, environmentalists, historians, Indigenous scholars, artists, photographers and musicians, who shared their stories and reflections on a centenary of the Hume Dam.

The event featured 10 speakers including ILWS Professor Lee Baumgartner.

The event was organised by Charles Sturt University working in conjunction with La Trobe University and Albury & District Historical Society. A Two Cities One Community initiative, it was held with the support of the Murray Darling Basin Authority.

Analysing social media for better public policy

A one day symposium on “Analysing social media for better public policy” attended by more than 40 people was held at the Bathurst campus, November 14, 2019.

The symposium, which aimed to advance understandings of ways that public authorities can improve their decision-making and policy by closely analysing social media, was organised by Charles Sturt University Research Fellow Associate Professor Peter Simmons, and PhD students Kane Callaghan and Rizwan Sharif with support from the Faculty of Arts and Education and ILWS team funding. The symposium brought together academic researchers focused on uses and qualitative analysis of social media in public decision-making, and people working in public policy, strategy, and communication.

During the morning session a number of case studies were presented at the symposium by various speakers. These included:

• Reacting to changes in public policy: the case of cervical screening – Dr Rachel Dodd, University of Sydney
• Public attitudes to government roles in obesity prevention – Dr Lucy Farrell, University of Adelaide, and Dr Jackie Street, University of Wollongong
• Why manual, qualitative analysis over automated? The carp release program – Dr Michael Mehmet, Charles Sturt University
• Public responses to media articles about the health effects of e-cigarette – Dr Kylie Morphett, University of Queensland
• What to do about sharks? – Associate Professor Peter Simmons, and Dr Belinda Curley, NSW DPI

The afternoon session on “Adapting and applying methods to meet policy needs” included presentations by ILWS PhD student Kane Callaghan on “What information aids policymakers and what’s available in SM?” and by Dr Kelsey Chalmers, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, on “Publicly available! Ethics of use of SM data and permissions.” CSU’s Dr David Cameron then facilitated the “Workshopping the wicked” discussion.

“The symposium discussions consistently indicated that social media provide a unique opportunity to listen in real time to public debate, to identify changes and trends in public opinion as they happen, and to inform decision making and educational campaigns,” writes Peter and Kane in the report on the event.

Launch of Investigating Bonegilla

The Discover Bonegilla annual reunion, held November 2 and 3, 2019 at the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and training Centre, at Bonegilla, near Wodonga was the ideal event to coincide with the launch the Bonegilla Migrant Experience and Block 19 tour.

More than 500 visitors attended the reunion. The Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre was a transition camp for more than 300,000 migrants between 1947 and 1971 and is a major feature in Australian history.

The tour, an online 3D virtual tour complemented by an historical investigation resource kit, has been developed by Institute Adjunct Bruce Pennay and Paul Grover, CSU and was officially launched at The Cube Wodonga, on November 4. More than 50 people attended the launch.

The tour has been studded with You-tube videos, a picture trail and a drone flight to establish geographical context.

The project was a joint initiative between Charles Sturt and the Bonegilla Migrant Experience, City of Wodonga, AlburyCity and Two-state History Education Network. ILWS provided seed-funding for the project.

https://www.bonegilla.org.au/education/virtual-tour-and-learning-resources

Social Sciences Week

Social Science Week is a national platform for social science researchers to engage with non-academic audiences to share their research and discuss key social science issues. 2019 was CSU’s first year participating in the national Social Sciences Week. Between September 9 and 15 CSU held four events, with support from each of the faculties and ILWS. The week kicked off with breakfast at Parliament House, with Dr Dominic O’Sullivan representing CSU, attended by parliamentarians Andrew Leigh, Adam Band and David Sharma. 

The first CSU event was the launch of the report “A trade of one’s own: Regional NSW stakeholder findings – barriers and proposed solutions for women in the manual trades 2019” in Bathurst on Tuesday, September 10.  On Wednesday 11th, four researchers, Rohena Duncombe, Associate Professor Susan Mlcek, Associate Professor Dominic O’Sullivan and Monica Short combined to present a  2 hour webinar titled “Social justice for all".  That evening in Canberra at the old Parliament House, Associate Professor Dominic O'Sullivan and Dr Bede Harris presented public lectures to an audience of 65. Dominic’s lecture was titled “‘We are all here to stay’: Citizenship, Sovereignty and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”, while Bede presented “Constitutional Reform as a Remedy for Political Disenchantment in Australia”

The final event was a public lecture held in Albury, as part of CSU’s Exploration Series. Dr Belinda Cash presented “Ageing in Australia: Changes, choices and challenges”. Dr Cash gave the audience an overview of rural ageing and provided insight into how this is experienced by couples in the NE Victoria area, based on her PhD data. Over 45  people were in attendance and the evening finished with a good discussion with people sharing their experiences.

Report Launch 'A trade of one's own'

The report Launch: ‘A trade of one’s own’ - Regional NSW stakeholder findings – barriers and proposed solutions for women in the manual trades, 2019 was held on Tuesday 10 September at the Bathurst Charles Sturt University campus.

The event was very well attended by over 60 people including industry stakeholders, tradeswomen and university staff. Wiradjuri Elder Uncle Dinawan welcomed the guests with stories of women’s country, team leader Donna Bridges gave a brief project overview and introduced Prof Mark Morrison and Prof Wendy Bowles who officially launched the report and Craig Randazzo, CEO Skillset spoke to the importance of tradeswomen in the regions.

Science Forum

The theme of this year's event was "Connecting People with Nature" emphasising the role of nature in both ecosystem and human health. It was held at the Winton Wetlands, near Benalla, Victoria, August 15 and 16.

Albury-Wide 24 Exhibition

Associate Professor Dirk Spennemann’s latest photographic project, Albury-Wide 24, explored the interaction of cultural heritage, landscape, and human experience. The exhibition, comprising of two sets of 24 photographs at various locations in Albury, was launched April 17.

“Albury’s community is changing in terms of its ethnic and social mix, but also in terms of its patterns of work and play,” says Dirk. “The aim of the Albury-Wide 24 project was to provide a snapshot of Albury as it appeared at the end of 2018. It showcased and celebrated real people in real settings, those who underpin the functioning of a city, as well as those who utilise its places and spaces.”

In the context of the Albury-Wide 24 project, he explained that people perceive and experience their surroundings in a broad frame (our binocular vision is 120 degrees), yet confined by the technology of their camera, they tend to represent it in a fragmented form.

(Pic of Judith McDonald with her image)

“This photo project used environmental portraiture, with a 120 degree distortion-free panoramic camera, to replicate human vision when capturing Albury at work and play,” he said. “On a single day, 24 people were photographed on the hour, one different person every hour from noon to noon, and additional images were captured during the following two weeks."

The images were printed on polyester film (84 centimetres x 195 centimetres) and were displayed for a four- to eight-week period at various locations throughout Albury, using windows of occupied as well as vacant commercial premises, fences, people’s balconies, and other facilities as temporary art spaces. In addition, a series of images were projected onto building facades. One image was mounted on a delivery van as mobile art. The public exhibition was accompanied by a permanent website (accessible at www.ausphoto.net) which contained a map with the locations of all displays. All images will be made available in a free book that can be downloaded from the internet (as a pdf file). The project was supported by a cultural and community grant from  Albury City, ILWS, the participants, as well as the property owners who made their premises available as public art spaces.

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SEGRA

Over 200 people gathered in Mackay for the 22nd annual SEGRA (Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia) conference over October 22-25 to discuss the theme “Beyond the Boom: Opportunities for Growth and Vitality”.Highlights of the conference were the keynote opening speaker, Professor Sohail Inayatullah (Chair in Future Studies at UNESCO) who challenged the delegates ability to see alternative futures.The now well established SEGRA Challenge attracted eight Big Ideas with the winner proposing a regional project to introduce diversified hydroponic agriculture in regional, rural and remote locations.

At the conference Professor Mark Morrison announced CSU’s research support for the Education Challenge from 2017 to the value of $100,000. He said the funding would be used to build on initial research jointly led by Professor John Hicks and Associate Professor Tom Murphy from the Western Research Institute. “Building on the research we completed in the Murray region, we will be working to identify where and what the skills shortages are, and work with local governments, education providers and schools to understand the drivers and mechanisms to create regions with a supply of potential employees,” said Professor Morrison. The new program was expected to take 18 months and would include a skills audit to identify strengths and gaps in the region.

ILWS members who spoke at SEGRA were:

• Dr Rui Bi: The Effects of aligning IT with business strategy in small-to-medium enterprise growth
• Professor Mark Morrison: Regional Australia informing strategies for education through to employment
• Associate Professor Peter Waterman (Adjunct): Safe Water Australia: securing adequate safe domestic water for rural, remote and regional Australia; and Assessing Risk and Risk Mitigation: coastal catchments

Professor Mark Morrison was also involved in the pre-conference Monday October 22, addressing  Building Regional Startups & Innovation Ecosystems, speaking at the morning session on “What is the best it Could be? and as a panel member in the afternoon session Who is Involved, representing CSU.

Wise WaterWays

Professor Robyn Watts and Institute Adjunct Dr Geoff Vietz were two of the speakers at this year’s Wise Water Ways workshop, held in Beechworth, North East Victoria, October 29 to November 2. Billed as “A Workshop in Rural and Urban Stream Management Principles and Practices,” the workshop was presented by the North East CMA, Department of Land, Water & Planning, Jacobs, Centre for Freshwater Ecology-La Trobe University, River Basin Management Society, Alluvium Consulting Pty Ltd, Charles Sturt University, Water Technology, and the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research. Dr Jamie Pittock, from ANU, gave a public lecture on “Transforming River Management-What Works?” Robyn’s topic was “Environmental Flows” and she spoke on water resource allocation; environmental flows importance and assessment methodology; and streamflow management. Geoff’s topic was “Working with waterway geomorphology” and he discussed geomorphic principles for working with waterways; and practical applications of your geomorphic knowledge. Geoff also partnered with Ben Tate, from Water Technology, to speak on “Stream hydraulics and sediment movement” at another session.

NAPREC workshop

A second NAPREC (National Agricultural Productivity and Reconciliation Ecology Centre) writing workshop was held at Mulwala on October 9-10. The goal of the meetings is to develop a paper highlighting the concept of reconciliation ecology, its significance, and the role it can play in the Murray Valley. It focusses on the human side of NRM and the importance of communities, people and partnerships for successful ecological and productive outcomes. It will outline the principles of NAPREC and provide a framework for successful NRM relationships. The paper is being co-authored by ILWS members Professor Max Finlayson, Dr Wes Ward, Dr Jen Bond, Dr John Conallin, Dr Michael Mitchell, PhD student Michael Vanderzee and representatives from NAPREC, Adam Wettenhall, Shelley Scoullar and Louise Burge. In addition, NAPREC is seeking funding for a pilot project - Winter Wetland Refuge project - with ILWS helping provide academic and scientific resources. The project will connect communities, landholders, education and science in the Murray Valley.

Housing Affordability Forum

Dr Helen Masterman-Smith was one of three guest speakers at a Housing Affordability Forum, held at the Sustainability Activity Centre, Wodonga, September 27. The event was organised by Tiny Houses Albury-Wodonga and Helen presented on the nature and causes of the housing affordability crisis in Australia. The other speakers focussed on community responses to these circumstances alongside more eco-friendly housing options, like tiny houses and their possibilities and challenges of development in Australia. “It was a good networking and knowledge sharing opportunity,” says Helen who expects further forums and discussion on this topic to follow

Winton Wetlands Science Forum

On August 16 - 17 Professor Max Finlayson attended the 4th annual Winton Wetlands Science Forum ‘Risks and Drivers of Change in Wetland Management’ held at the Winton Wetlands where he provided a summary of the workshop at its conclusion. Also in attendance was Dr Wes Ward. Max, who is chair of the Winton Wetlands Environmental Strategy Advisory Panel, also attended a meeting of the panel on October 11.

Gerontology Symposium

The Australasian Association of Gerontology Regional Symposium, held in Wagga, August 8 to 10, was supported by a $40,000 grant from the Regional Conferencing Development Grants Program from the NSW Government. The symposium attracted 111 delegates from across NSW, Victoria and the ACT including a large contingent from Catholic Healthcare. Their attendance enabled CSU to showcase the work done by Associate Professor Marguerite Bramble in her role as the Clinical Chair in Innovative Practice in Aged Care held between CSU and Catholic Healthcare. The symposium commenced with an event for the delegates and the general public at the Forum Cinemas in Wagga where two short films were shown. The first film showed the incredible results gained by engaging people with dementia in an arts program. The second got the audience thinking about the rights of people with dementia to engage in activities they enjoy even though some risks may be involved.

"The keynote speakers challenged the audience in our thinking about ageing and the provision of services which was at times confronting but significant if we are to ensure we have in place a society that embraces and values the older population," says Associate professor Maree Bernoth, one of the conference's co-convenors. "One of the highlights was the inclusion of older people in the program. Uncle Charlie and Uncle Tunny from Albury, supported by Brett Biles, provided an entertaining but informative session related to the experiences of older Indigenous men. Dr Ray King presented a session about the Older Men New Ideas Groups that he established in Wagga and how important they are to supporting men especially farmers who have had to leave their farms and move into town."

NAPREC workshop

A NAPREC (National Agricultural Productivity and Reconciliation Ecology Centre) planning workshop was held in Deniliquin, June 26-28.  Professor Max Finlayson was joined by Dr Jen Bond, Mike Vanderzee and Dr Wes Ward and enthusiastic local landholders led by Shelley Scoullar and Louise Burge. The purpose of the workshop was to commence compiling a collaborative concept paper on the new research and education initiative (NAPREC) based in the Murray valley. The paper, with the working title, Reconciliation ecology in the Murray Valley, will provide important background, evidence and justification for establishing the centre.

Brainstorming session with North East CMA

Brainstorming session to develop partnerships and explore potential collaborative projects with North East Catchment Management Authority on June 20, 2018, attended by 16 ILWS researchers and five North East CMA staff. Outcomes  include assisting the CMA with analysing soil test data; and developing deer management projects.

Secret life of mistletoe

Professor David Watson gave a keynote presentation on “The secret life of mistletoe: Advances in understanding their ecological role and ecosystem function”at the Conservation in Action Conference: Research to Reality, held in Bathurst, May 16 to 17. The conference was organised as a partnership between Central Tablelands Local Land Services, Central Tablelands Landcare and Central West  Council’s Environment & Waterway Alliance.

North East Regional Water Forum 2018

The North East Regional Water Forum  was held on Wednesday, March 21, to coincide with World Water Day, March 22. The event was held at the North East Water Auditorium in Wodonga and participants included agency staff, landholders and academics. ILWS helped organise the event together with North East Water, North East Catchment Management Authority, Murray Darling Basin Authority, Goulburn Murray Water and La Trobe University.

Celebrating ILWS Authors

ILWS hosted a special morning tea for 38 guests on Tuesday 27 February to launch six books by ILWS authors.  The books that are edited by our members include chapters written by other ILWS members and show the diversity of our research expertise.  Of special note is the book “Community Forestry in Nepal”, edited by Rik Thwaites, Robert Fisher and Mohan Poudel.  It is the culmination of 10 years work and includes research which resulted in four PhDs.

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NAPREC

Nine members of the Institute were active participants in the inaugural National Agricultural Productivity and Reconciliation  Ecology Centre (NAPREC) conference held in Deniliquin, October 4 & 5. More information Video on YouTube Impressions

A NAPREC progress meeting was then held in Deniliquin on December 19. Five ILWS members met with NAPREC leaders and interested stakeholders in Deniliquin to discuss how the centre can best forward its core values of understanding, trust, ownership and partnership to encourage sustainable agricultural production in southern Australia. The morning workshop was followed by an afternoon field trip and discussions around the Frogs in Rice project funded by Rice Growers Australia.

ILWS Members Retreat

On August 21 and 22, ILWS members gathered for a retreat at St Clement's Retreat and Conference Centre, Galong to explore the society aspects of ILWS research. The main outcome of the retreat was the diagram (thanks to Associate Professor Dirk Spennemann's creative skills), which attempts to place the society focus within the broader ILWS focus.

"It gave us a clear sense of commitment to regional communities and to assisting such communities with the design of sustainable and fair futures," said Associate Professor Oliver Burmeister, who facilitated the retreat.

Third Winton Wetlands Forum

The third annual Winton Wetlands Restoration Science Forum at the Winton Wetlands, Benalla was held on August 17and 18.The aim of the forums is to provide support for research on the Winton Wetlands restoration program, as well as assist in gaining data for the management and progression of the site. It also aims to help progress the science of wetland restoration in Australia and elsewhere.

The international keynote speaker this year was Dr Patrick Grillas, one of the world's experts on wetland from the Tour de Valat in France where he and a team of scientists have been working on restoration of the Camargue system. As well as presentations from a variety of speakers, the forum included a special session (with Institute Director Professor Max Finlayson one of the speakers) on the potential listing of the Winton Wetlands as an internationally-recognised wetland.

Mid North Coast Local Health District collaboration

Associate Professor Rosemary Black is collaborating with the Mid North Coast Local Health Distract (MNCLHD) on a number of fronts. Since August 2016, she has been coordinating monthly research seminars at the Port Macquarie campus that are being well attended by both CSU staff and other regional researchers, practitioners and postgraduate students, including MNCLHD staff. She is also a member of a team of researchers based at MNCLD to assess MNCLHD research applications, and was invited to present a workshop, October 4, on Mixed Methods Research. Workshop participants included practitioners in occupational health, dietetics and medical imaging.

Health/environment opportunities workshop

Six Institute members took part in the "New Horizons – exploring linkages and opportunities between health and the environment in North East Victoria" workshop organised by the North East Catchment Management Authority to explore ways that the regional health sector could collaborate and partner with organisations involved in managing the North East region's natural resources. The workshop, held in Wodonga, Victoria, on  July 6, saw 30 people from the two sectors come together to identify top priorities for the North East region of Victoria.

A second workshop, to expand on and flesh out specific opportunities and priorities identified in the July workshop, was held on December 7 in Beechworth. Twenty three people representing both the health and the NRM sector including private landholders, ILWS, Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning attended.

2017 North East Environment Forum

The second annual North East Forum Environment Forum was held May 25, 2017 at CSU's Wangaratta study centre. Once again ILWS teamed with partners – North East Catchment Management Authority, Trust for Nature, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, and Parks Victoria – to present a successful forum with 76 attendees.This year's forum theme was "Connecting People with Nature". More

Project design workshop

In May Dr Lee Baumgartner participated in a two day sustainable diversion limit project design workshop with the North Central CMA. The purpose of the workshop, in Cohuna, Victoria, was to determine the best outcomes for fish and vegetation in Cameron's Creek should planned works go ahead.

Wings on King

Professor David Watson was part of the "The Wings on King Seminar and launch – a celebration of the birds on King Island and why we need them" event, April 27-30, King Island. Professor Watson gave a presentation on "Boosting biodiversity AND the bottom-line—achieving win-win outcomes with conservation farming: The benefits of managing both simultaneously" and led a workshop on 'Defragging King Island' How to maintain/increase biodiversity and improve land management while sustaining a strong agricultural industry'. The event was held to launch an island wide restoration initiative on King Island.

Edward-Wakool Fish Forum

Three members of the Edward-Wakool LTIM team gave presentations at the annual Edward-Wakool Fish Forum held at the Barham and District Services Club, Barham on the evening of February 16. Around 80 people attended the forum.The forum is a collaboration of Murray Local Land Services, NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries, Charles Sturt University and the National Landcare Program. Topics were:

• From Green to Black, an overview of water quality issues in 2016 including blue-green algae monitoring and the recent flooding and hypoxic blackwater - Dr Julia Howitt
• Long term monitoring of fish populations in the Edward-Wakool River System - Dr Nicole McCasker
• Fish movement in the Edward-Wakool System - Institute Adjunct and scientist with Fisheries NSW Dr Jason Thiem

Better Parks for People

Dr Rachel Whitsed gave a presentation "Better Parks for People: development of a spatial tool to better plan parks for older residents" at a "Developing age-friendly rural communities: sharing international and local learnings" forum at LaTrobe University, February 14. Dr Whitsed is the lead researcher on the "Better Parks for People" (2016-2017) project funded by FACS NSW Liveable Communities. The forum was sponsored by the Transforming Human Societies RFA 2017 Visiting Fellow Program.

Forest gathering

Professor Robyn Watts and Dr Julia Howitt gave a presentation on the Koondrook-Perricoota Floodplain Runoff project with a focus on carbon, blackwater and hypoxia, at a symposium on February 8 at Moama, NSW, as part of the 'Connecting the dots at Koondrook-Perricoota Forest' 2017 Gathering. The project has been jointly funded by the Forestry Corporation of NSW, ILWS and CSU's Faculty of Science.

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Murray Darling Basin forum

As part of this year's SEGRA (Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia) conference, August 20-22, at Barooga, NSW, the Institute, in partnership with others, ran and coordinated a special pre-conference Murray Darling Basin forum on Monday, August 19. The forum featured presentations on four challenges in the morning with working group deliberations and ideas capture sessions in the afternoon. The theme of this year's SEGRA conference was "Rivers of Opportunity: Activating your potential."

Official welcome of CSIRO Land & Water’s Managing Water Ecosystems group

The University’s official welcome to the team from CSIRO’s Land & Water to the Albury Wodonga campus was held on Tuesday, April 30. Twenty five people attended the launch which included Institute members (Institute Director Professor Max Finlayson facilitated the event), CSIRO staff, Cr Amanda Cohn, Albury City’s Acting Mayor, and Paul Child from NSW OEH.

The welcome began with a Welcome to Country by Wiradjuri elder Yalmambirra followed by a welcome to the CSIRO team from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Engagement) Professor Heather Cavanagh......."I think its days like today, where we bring together lots of different people with different expertise,  is the start of the future; it’s the start of where we will start to see some real impact. So welcome to CSIRO, it’s wonderful to have you here. We look forward to this being a very long and productive partnership.”

She was followed by Jane Coram, Director, CSIRO Land and Water Business Unit  who said that the collaboration with CSU was “a really exciting point in our journey of understanding and working within the Murray-Darling Basin... One of the very exciting things is that we have moved from an era of organisations trying to do their own thing in isolation to really recognising that the big wins don’t come from us going it alone; they are achieved by us working together. In the science space, that’s where the breakthroughs are happening, when we bring in a range of different viewpoints and disciplinary expertise to the challenges."

The official welcome included two presentations, one by CSIRO’s Dr Gavin Rees on the project he and Dr Daryl Nielsen are working on in the Condamine River, and the other by the Institute’s Dr Lee Baumgartner, on “Investigating the Menindee Fish Kills.” There was also a tour of the laboratory on campus where the CSIRO equipment is housed.

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Aged Care

Associate Professor Maree Bernoth was an invited speaker at the NSW Nursing Association Aged Care Nurses’ Forum, Quality Matters, in Sydney, October 24. Maree spoke on nutrition and hydration as indicators of quality care

Mental Health

Associate Professor Russell Roberts was the chair of the Australian Rural & Remote Mental Health Symposium 2018 held in Hobart, Tasmania, October 15 to 17. Russell gave a presentation on ‘Rural mental health workforce, a policy imperative: Yes or No?’; and chaired a session on ‘Let’s discuss stigma’. He also did considerable media around the event including the launch of the revised Equally Well web-page.

New Age

Professor Manohar Pawar attended a public lecture on A New Age of Sustainable Development – Australia, Asia, and the World, delivered by Professor Jeffrey Sachs and organised by the The Monash Sustainable Development Institute, on Oct. 15.

SPECTRA 2018

Institute Adjunct Dr Mary Rosengreen chaired a session on "Visualisation" at the SPECTRA 2018 symposium and festival held in Adelaide, Oct 10-12. The theme of the symposium was research collaboration between artists and scientists.  The symposium was presented by the Australian Network for Art and Technology, University of Spouth Australia and Experimenta Media Arts.

Book launch

A new book Sport and Physical Activity Across the Lifespan, co-edited by Associate Professor Rylee Dionigi. from the School of Exercise Science, Sport and Health, and Associate Professor Michael Gard, from the University of Queensland, was launched at CSU’s Port Macquarie campus, in September.

When and how research has impact

As part of Dr Alexandra Knight’s 2017 Early Career Seed Grant, Alex has been involved in a collaborative research program into research impact, knowledge exchange and co-production together with researchers from ANU, CSIRO, Monash, Oxford and Auckland University of Technology. Co-funded by ANU’s Fenner School the group gathered in Canberra for 4 days in August, together with 31 invited guests (including NGOs, research and government agencies, and consultancies) with facilitation provided by an international expert on impact research Mark Read, Professor of Socio-Technical Innovation at Newcastle University, UK. along with invited international experts. The group commenced development of a professional network of knowledge exchange researchers and practitioners, as well as research into processes and evaluation of knowledge exchange, and post-colonial perspectives. One outcome of this collaboration was a public lecture on “When Science Changes Society: When and How Research has Impact” presented at ANU, August 8. This event was supported by the Fenner School of Environment and Society via the Environment and Society Synthesis Program and the Faculty of Science, Charles Sturt University.

Kakadu

From July 20 to 27 Professor Max Finlayson was in the Northern Territory to attend the 40th anniversary of the Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist in Darwin. Max gave a presentation on reframing the concepts that led to the establishment of Kakadu National Park and uranium mining in a modern socio-ecological context.

National Carp Control Plan

On July 12, Professor Max Finlayson, together with Associate Professor Dr Skye Wassens, Dr Keller Kopf, Dr Paul Humphries and Dr Luiz Silva, attended a workshop on the ‘Medium to long term effects of carp reductions’ at the North East Catchment Management Authority’s offices in Wodonga. The workshop, hosted by North East CMA, was run by the National Carp Control Plan.

Asian Studies Association

Drs Joanne Millar and Jennifer Bond attended the Asian Studies Association of Australia conference in Sydney, July 3 to 5,  University of Sydney where Dr Millar presented a paper on “Agrarian and landscape transformation in Timor Leste from agroforestry development” based on household survey results from the Darwin Initiative project in Timor Leste; and Dr Bond research results from her previous work in Vietnam in a paper titled “Investigating the gendered outcomes of rice policy and climate adaptation in central Vietnam”. The pair have joined the Timor Leste Studies Association.

Cyber Security Symposium

Two ILWS members were involved in the Cyber Security Symposium 2018, held July 5 to 8, held at the International Hotel, Wagga Wagga. The symposium covered the latest development in cyber security. Our members were: Professor Mark Morrison who spoke about the Faculty’s Research, and Professor Stephen D’Alessandro, Cybersecurity CRC – Theme Leader- who spoke on ‘Privacy preserving data sharing in a hyper connected world Cyber’.

Torres Strait Regional Authority Workshop

Institute Adjunct Dr Justin Watson attended a Torres Strait Terrestrial island Ecosystems Workshop in Cairns, June 26 to 27. The aim of the workshop was to better understand the importance of the islands' vegetation, fauna, wetlands and mangroves; and to identify the key threats to ecosystems and species.

Conserving declining animal species

Dr James Van Dyke gave a seminar on applying reproductive biology to the conservation of declining animal species at Flinders University, South Australia on May 11.

Mangrove and saltmarsh conference

Institute Adjunct Dr Swapan Paul and Institute Director Professor Max Finlayson were on the organising committee of the 6th National Conference of the Australian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network, held Sydney, April 17 to 20. Dr Paul presented at the conference which was jointly hosted by the Sydney Olympic Park Authority and Macquarie University.

Rural and Remote Health

Dr Rachel Whitsed gave a presentation under the theme of mapping, measuring and clarifying rural health metrics, at the 6th Rural and Remote Health Scientific Symposium, held April 11 and 12, in Canberra.  The symposium was run by the National Rural Health Alliance

Keynote presentation

On World Wetlands Day, February 2, Institute Director Professor Max Finlayson, gave a keynote presentation, by video to the 2018 WA Wetland Management Conference, which was held at the Cockburn Wetlands Education Centre, WA. His presentation was on "Policy failure or success in managing wetlands under climate change?

Victorian Biodiversity Conference

Dr Alexandra Knight and Institute Adjunct Associate Professor Ian Lunt were active participants in the Victorian Biodiversity Conference, held February 6 and 7 at La Trobe University’s Melbourne campus. The annual conference, which is supported by the Institute and is aimed at Early Career researchers, attracted about 280 people

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SEGRA

Professor Max Finlayson, Professor Mark Morrison, and Institute Adjunct Professor Peter Waterman, attended the SEGRA Conference in Port Augusta, SA, October 23-27 where Max:

• facilitated a Group Focus Session "Beyond 'Post-Truth' - Getting Science and Evidence Back into Policy and Decision Making" during the Researchers' Forum
• chaired a workshop session on "Sustaining Coastal Regions"
• was a panel member of a discussion on "National Conservation for Regional Policy" (which was sponsored by CSU and chaired by Peter Ryan, Senior Business Correspondent, ABC News)
• presented a challenge topic to the conference on "regional Australian informing strategies for education through to employment"
• worked with Institute Adjunct Professor Peter Waterman to further develop the Safe and Secure Domestic Water project.

Mark gave a presentation on "Developing entrepreneurial ecosystems in regional Australia through the CenWest Innovate program: A review of progress" for Spotlight 5 – Entrepreneurship and Investment in Regional Australia.

Rural and Regional Mobilities Workshop

Associate Professor Branka Krivokapic-Skoko gave a presentation on 'From 'attraction points' towards retention: What do we know about international immigrants who come to stay in non-metropolitan Australia' at a Rural and Regional Mobilities Workshop: Exploring the Impact of (Im)mobilities in Rural and Regional Communities, organised by the University of South Australia - Mount Gambier Campus, on September 26.

Queensland forum

Dr Lee Baumgartner attended the "Doing well by doing good –Queensland's Impacts & Benefits in Agricultural Research", a Crawford Fund Queensland Forum and Networking Reception, at Queensland's Parliament House, February 14.

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Launch of Apna Pani

A successful webinar to launch some easy-to-use mobile phone and web-based spatial applications for the Pakistan groundwater project's farming stakeholders was held on Monday, July 27.

The applications have three integrated components – Apna Pani (meaning “our water”), and its two additional modules, Wells and Apna Farms. While both Wells and Apna Farms are mobiles Apps, Apna Farms is also available as a web-based application enabling users to estimate crop water requirements, drawing on information made available on groundwater quality and quantity, soil quality (for selected project areas) and established crop profitability profiles.

The new tools were launched by the Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Dr Geoffrey Shaw, and ACIAR’s CEO, Prof. Andrew Campbell. They were followed by a presentation and demonstration by Dr Moby Khan, a spatial scientist now based at Charles Sturt University, who leads the spatial component of the project. He explained how the Apps work and the reasoning behind their development. Pakistani farmer Sharaz Akhtar, from the village of Cheecha Watni in Punjab then shared his experiences of using the Apps.

The project’s leader and Institute Adjunct Professor Jay Punthakey also presented, giving a brief introduction to the overall project. The event was moderated by Dr Michael Mitchell. Included in the 60 plus attendees for the one and a half hour long webinar were the project’s in-country partners, representatives from NGOs, donor agencies such as USAID, and local farmers.

Global Swimways Webinar Marathon

Every two years, the World Fish Migration Foundation hosts a series of global events to celebrate the importance of free-flowing rivers. These World Fish Migration Day events usually take place on rivers, but because of  COVID-19 and most of the world in lockdown at the time, the foundation decided to move the celebration to an online platform for the first time this year.

It ran a non-stop 24-hour “Global Swimways Webinar Marathon”, a free event,  commencing May 14 which started in Oceania, focusing on Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, before moving west around the world. The webinar included presentations from over 50 local, national and global experts over nine sessions.

Charles Sturt hosted the Oceania session with Professor Lee Baumgartner giving a presentation on “300 hundred years of decline; status and trends of native fish across Oceania”; and Institute Adjunct Professor Martin Mallen-Cooper spoke on the “The Darling River catastrophe: Can we fix it?”

The event was very well-attended. There were 427 registrants, from 41 countries across the world and a range of professions from academics, managers, fishers, community members, teachers, and policy makers, with an average of 250-300 attending each talk.

Links to the presentations https://www.worldfishmigrationfoundation.com/global-swimways-webinar-marathon/

Links to the video recordings of the sessions https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCZw4vlkdudWCyNlk_tZ-3LnGdWy5XZt6

MOTA framework development workshop

A two day MOTA framework development workshop to “kick start” a new project -  Translating fish passage outcomes into policy and legislation across South East Asia - which will build on the knowledge gained from previous fish passage projects was held at the Albury-Wodonga campus, February 20-21.

The workshop was centred around the Motivation and Ability (MOTA) framework which takes a multi-stakeholder and multilevel approach to assess and compare projects and plans, centred on the integral relationship between Trigger-Motivation-Ability.

The workshop was focused on the project's main research questions and was an important step in understanding the motivations and abilities of the various actors in relation to successful institutionalisation and implementation of fish passage programs within SE Asia. Special guest and presenter was Professor Ho Long Phi, Centre for Water Management and Climate Change, Vietnam National University who has developed the MOTA framework.

Other attendees were Institute members Associate Professor Andrew Hall, Professor Lee Baumgartner, Dr John Conallin, Dr Jen Bond, Dr Nick Pawsey, Dr Wayne Robinson, Dr Nathan Ning, Mr Vu Vi An, Rezki Antoni, Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Centre, Inland Fisheries Resources Development and Management Department, Indonesia, Chann Aun Tob, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Cambodia  and Hannah McPherson, Hendricks Consulting, Australia.

Journal article writing workshop

As part of the activities associated with the 'Improving groundwater management to enhance agriculture and farming livelihoods in Pakistan' (2016-2020) project, the Institute hosted a four day journal article writing workshop at Charles Sturt University’s Albury-Wodonga campus, December 2-5, for members of the Pakistan Groundwater project who had attended the Australian Groundwater Conference (AGC) 2019, November 24-28, in Brisbane.

The aim of the workshop “From conference presentation to journal article – building your capacity for academic writing” was to assist research project partners from Pakistan in preparing journal publications from the papers they presented at the conference.

ILWS researchers were also invited to participate in the workshop, which was designed and facilitated by Dr Judy Redman, with support from ILWS members Drs Michael Mitchell and Catherine Allan. PhD candidates Ghulam Zakir Hassan and Vu Vi An took up this opportunity.

Workshop on resilience in semi-arid landscapes of South Africa and Australia

Building on networks/collaborations established at the 2018 Fish Passage conference, a "Workshop on resilience in semi-arid landscapes of South Africa and Australia" was delivered by Institute and the University of Mpumalanga in October.

ILWS team funding covered some of the costs of running the workshop including the travel costs to bring five experts from South Africa, Dr Mduduzi Ndlovu (University of Mpumalanga, Mbombela, South Africa, Senior Lecturer, SBES), Danie Pienaar (KNP, Director Scientific Services South African National Parks), Robin Petersen (KNP, Scientific Services Scientist), Dr Sam M. Ferreira, large mammal ecologist at SANParks, and Dr Gordon O’Brien (University of Mpumalanga, Mbombela, South Africa, Senior Lecturer, SBES). Their visit included with workshops to scope existing work, emerging opportunities and project ideas at CSU’s Albury-Wodonga campus, October 8-9, and was followed by field visits, October 10 to 12. The visit also provided an opportunity to network with a number of the Institute’s aquatic and terrestrial ecologists and member of NSW DPI fisheries staff and other Government agencies.

“We were looking at collaborative opportunities between South Africa National Parks, ILWS, NSW DPI and the University of Mpumalanga, looking at where we may be able to work together in the aquatic/terrestrial space,” says Dr Lee Baumgartner.

Workshop on the rapid assessment of the ecological character of wetlands

Between September 11 and 13, ILWS funded a three day workshop hosted by the Sydney Olympic Park Authority with the specific aim of developing a framework for the rapid assessment of the ecological character of wetlands. Coordinated by ILWS adjunct Rob McInnes and attended by the ILWS members and adjuncts, Professor Max Finlayson, Professor Nick Davidson, Dr Swapan Paul, Dr Ritesh Kumar, Professor Lijuan Cui and Dr Yinru Lei, along with wetland experts from Australia, the workshop dissected the current understanding of wetland character and evaluated the existing approaches to assessment. During the workshop, the emphasis shifted to reviewing the definition of ecological character, and interrogating whether the multiple values of wetlands were genuinely captured in the current construct and, therefore, were the existing approach to delivering wise use fit for purpose. The workshop further investigated whether the dynamic linkages and interactions among the biotic, non-abiotic and human elements could be more clearly defined in order to move towards the development of a framework for the rapid assessment of the ecological character of wetlands. The objective of the such a framework would be to ensure that a systems view of wetland, with values as the leverage point for evaluation, was developed.

The attendees at the workshop discussed the approach to developing a framework for the rapid assessment of wetland ecological character, given the need to embed further human values. They intend to develop their ideas through the submission of a peer-reviewed paper, as well as working towards a tool-kit approach to the rapid assessment through the development of practical applications in inter alia India, China, Myanmar and Australia. As part of a longer-term road map they will investigate showcasing the workshop outputs at various international events including INTECOL 2020, the Society of Wetland Scientists’ meeting, Quebec, 2020 and potentially the next Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention (COP14) in China in 2021.

Workshop on transdisciplinary research

As part of a visit to the Institute by Pakistan partners in the ACIAR scoping project Living with Salinity in the Indus Basin: SRA 2 a  two day workshop to explore framings for transdisciplinary research in complex contexts” was held at the Albury-Wodonga campus August 22 and 23. The visitors were among the 32 invited workshop participants which included ILWS members, PhD students and adjuncts; researchers from the Graham Centre including its Director, Associate Professor Marta Hernandez-Jover, the Faculty of Science the Faculty of Businesses, Justice and Behavioural Sciences, and ILWS stakeholders such as North East Water and the North East Catchment Management Authority. The workshop was organised by Dr Michael Mitchell with the support of Associate Professor Catherine Allan. Two guest experts brought in for the workshop were Professor Ray Ison, from the Open University, based in the UK; and Dr Mark Stafford-Smith, an Honorary Fellow with CSIRO. Ray led a session on “Systemic co-inquiry” during the workshop, and Mark a session on “Integrating the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.” Both sessions were interactive with workshop participants working in groups.

Ray’s session introduced the tool of “conversation mapping” to discuss the topic “Doing transdisciplinary research is…..” with members of the groups bringing their own histories and understandings to explore the issue. The technique is used as a stepping stone for a systemic co-inquiry. For Mark’s session groups of workshops participants were asked to look at how their work interacted with the SDGs, and means of implementation.

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2018 International Conference on River Connectivity
(Fish Passage 2018)

Hailed as a resounding success, the conference, which incorporated the First Symposium on Hydropower and Fish Management, attracted over 350 delegates from over 30 countries around the world to the Albury Entertainment Centre, Albury, NSW, December 10-14.

Photo Dr Zeb Hogan and the giant Mekong catfish at the public lecture

It was the first time the conference, co-hosted by NSW Department of Primary Industries- Fisheries and the Institute for Land, Water and Society, has been held in the Southern Hemisphere. “We were keen to show the recent advances we have made in Australia and in Southeast Asia in fish passage technologies,” says conference co-convenor Dr Lee Baumgartner as to why Australia put up its hand in 2016.  (Fellow convenor was Matthew Gordos, from NSW DPI.)

Other than the many and varied conference presentations, other highlights of the conference were the announcement of the 2018 Distinguished Project Award which went to a research team led by Dr Lee Baumgartner; the launch of the Wetland Book 1 and 2, of which Professor Max Finlayson is the lead editor; the public lecture by National Geographic Channel presenter and University of Nevada academic Dr Zeb Hogan; and the announcement of the 2018 Career Achievement Award which went to Institute Adjunct Professor Mallen-Cooper.

A special 16 page insert to our newsletter Connections Issue 53 contains an overview of the conference as well as interviews with just some of the many speakers and partners with whom the Institute has connections.

Visit to China

During October 26 to November 1 Professor Max Finlayson was in China to attend the China Academy of Forestry’s 60th Anniversary in Beijing and a project meeting in Hangzhou. Max attended the anniversary and gave a talk on ‘local to international experiences in science communication in promoting science innovation and participatory research’ at a meeting arranged by the Ecological Committee of the Science Writers Association, and a talk entitled “The Future for Wetlands: Opportunities and Benefits,’ at the Institute for Wetland Research of the China Academy of Forestry. Max, an Official Visiting Professor with the Academy, was invited to join the ecological committee of the China Science Writers Association.

Conference of Parties of the intergovernmental Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Professor Max Finlayson along with Institute Adjuncts Professor Nick Davidson, Dr Anne van Dam, Dr Ritesh Kumar, Dr Swapan Paul, Rob McInnes and Dr Lisa-Marie Rebelo attended the Ramsar Triennial Conference in Dubai - Conference of Parties of the intergovernmental Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, October 21 to 26. Max, together with Professor Roy Gardner, from Stetson University, Florida, presented the Global Wetland Outlook to approx 1000 delegates from 170 governments, and environmental NGOs. Max’s presentation brought an end to his 25 years of formal involvement, as a technical advisor, to the Ramsar Convention.

Also at the conference Lisa presented a report, The use of Earth Observation for wetland inventory, assessment and monitoring: An information source for the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands,  co-authored by Max; and Nick also spoke at the “Climate management, adaptation and key legal issues for Ramsar wetlands” conference side event led by the Society of Wetland Scientists (of which Max is the President-elect) on October 26.

Wonders of the Mekong

On October 17 and 18 Dr Lee Baumgartner and ILWS PhD student Vu Vi An participated in a “Wonders of the Mekong” workshop organised by Fish Bio and the University of Nevada and funded by USAID and the National Geographic Society.
Lee presented a keynote talk Innovative monitoring techniques and how technology could be incorporated into monitoring in the Mekong.  An, another keynote speaker, gave a talk on his research on fish ear bones and fish movement.

World Lake conference

Professor Max Finlayson attended the 17th World Lake Conference in Ibaraki, Japan, October 13-19 where he gave an Invited Plenary on lakes, ecosystem services and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC), of which Max is a member of its Scientific Committee, was one of the conference’s host organisers.

International Water Association conference

Professor Max Finlayson attended the 16th International Water Association (IWA) Conference on Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control, in Valencia, Spain, October 1-5 where he gave an Invited Plenary on ‘Artificial wetland systems for water quality sand biodiversity and ecosystem services’.

European Consortium for Political Research

Associate Professor Catherine Allan attended the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) General conference in Hamburg, August 22-25. Over 4000 papers were submitted to the conference, and around 2500 were accepted. Catherine presented a paper ‘Jumping off the treadmill: reforming natural resource governing through systemic co-inquiry.’ “This explained the starting conditions for the Systemic Inquiry into NRM Governance in Victoria, and posited my team’s focus on systems approach as a way to ‘upscale’ current approaches to deliberative policy analysis (DPA).” says Catherine. “DPA is an integrative concept that sees policy analysis as embedded in, rather than separate from, practice and participation." Catherine has been undertaking this work with Moragh Mackay, Ray Ison, Ross Colliver, Phil Wallis, Laura Mumaw and Luisa Perez-Mujica, since around 2016.

WorldFish Rice Symposium

Dr Lee Baumgartner and Dr John Conallin attended and presented at a three-day WorldFish Rice Fish Systems symposium in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, August 6 to 8. The two co-presented on fish migration and fish passage options within rice-fish systems and the effects with regards to the work that is starting in Myanmar. John was also on a panel which discussed the role of flooding within fisheries and rice production, and the effects (positive and negative) flood control can have on fisheries and infrastructure.

Social marketing

The International Social Marketing Conference was held July 15 and 16 in Singapore where Dr Michael Mehmet gave a talk on his Equally Well project and his Shark Sentiment research, and  Dr Jodie Kleinschafer presented the findings of the NDIS research relating to service provision in Western NSW.

International Astacology Conference

Dr Maggie Watson attended the International Astacology Conference at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 9  to13 where she presented work funded by the ILWS on Murray Crayfish. Her talk was titled ‘Normal Biochemistry of the Murray Crayfish Euastacus armatus where she discussed monitoring work she, Marty Asmus NSW DPI Fisheries and Shane Raidal CSU SAVS Wagga, are trialling on captive Murray Crayfish.

Social work, education and social development

Professor Manohar Pawar was invited to join a panel at a symposium to speak on Social development and social work education: interaction and synergy, organised by the International Association of Schools of Social Work and the International Council on Social Welfare at the the Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development 2018 (SWSD 2018), Dublin, Ireland, 4-7 July 2018. While there he presented two papers, one based on his ARC Discovery project ‘Searching for virtue ethics: A survey of social work ethics curriculum and educators’, and the other on ‘Community Development, Empowerment and Social Entrepreneurship by Thankyou.’

What does accounting smell, look and feel like?

Institute researcher Dr Dianne McGrath was on the organizing committee of the Accounting & Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand (AFAANZ)’s Accounting Education Special Interest Group’s Symposium held in Auckland, New Zealand on June 30. This year’s theme was “Accounting and the Senses."

Training workshop in Myanmar

Senior Research Fellow Dr John Conallin was invited to partake in an “Ecosystem Functions and Services in Integrated Water Resources Management training of trainers workshop in Myanmar, June 25 to 29. The workshop was hosted by IHE Delft and the Myanmar Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Irrigation.

Australia’s Long-term Intervention Monitoring project

From June 10 to 15 Professor Robyn Watts attended the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) Summer Meeting in Victoria, Canada BC where she presented a paper  “Improving outcomes of environmental flows through adaptive management: Australia’s Longer-term Intervention Monitoring project” in a session on Environmental Flows: Recent Science, Applications, and Policy Implementation.

Society of Wetland Scientists’ conference

Professor Max Finlayson attended the Society of Wetland Scientists’ conference in Denver, Colorado, May 29 to June 1, where he gave talks on ‘International wetlands and climate policy: The huff, puff and bluff’ and ‘Wetland climate adaptation policy and management.’

International Symposium of Spatial accuracy

Dr Rachel Whitsed presented a paper, Whitsed, R., Horta, A., Soares, A. and Jelinek, H. (2018) An Uncertainty-Based Approach to Quantify the Spatial Representativeness of Local Health Datasets, at the 13th International Symposium of Spatial Accuracy in Beijing, China (21-25 May)

Red Panda Conservation Workshop

The Red Panda Conservation Workshop: Ensuring the future of red panda landscapes through national and regional collaboration, held May 1-3, 2018, in Bhutan. Organised by ILWS researchers, Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, Department of Forest & Park Services, and WWF Bhutan.

Urban Development and Wetland Conservation

Institute Adjunct Dr Swapan Paul gave a presentation at a special symposium at Nanjing University, China, organised with the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Feb 2-4, on the successful marriage between urban development and wetland conservation within Sydney Olympic Park.

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Impact of river development

Dr Lee Baumgartner, Dr Wayne Robinson, Dr Luis Silva and PhD student Vu Vi An attended the American Fisheries Society's 147th Annual Meeting at Tampa, Florida, U.S., August 20-24 where they ran a symposium on the impact of river development on tropical fisheries and An gave a presentation on diadromous fish in the Mekong River.

International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD)

Professor Manohar Pawaris now at the helm of an international organisation dedicated to creating peaceful solutions to the problems of humanity's survival at the local, national and global levels, gave his incoming presidential address at the ICSD's 20th International Scientific Conference in Zagreb, Croatia, July 7-11.

Mangrove decline

Professor Max Finlayson is a member of the Global Mangrove Watch, an Alliance whose purpose is to provide an update on the change in global mangrove cover since 1995. He attended:

• the 37th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment in Tshwane, South Africa, May 8-12, where, as a joint author he presented a paper on mangrove decline in Kakadu National Park; and
• June 5-9 attended the Society of Wetland Scientists annual meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he gave a presentation on the die-back of mangroves in Kakadu National Park

Tour guides forum

Associate Professor Rosemary Black was invited to present a keynote on "Researching tour guides and guiding: Mapping the past, charting the future" as the International Research Forum for Guided Tours, held in March at Roskilde University, near Copenhagen, Denmark. This conference held bi-annually brings together researchers, students and practitioners interested in tour guides and guiding.

Myanmar project partnership opportunities

Prof Ken Irvine from Delft-IHE, The Netherlands, and Prof Doug Shaw from The Nature Conservancy, Minnesota, USA were among the international visitors in Albury Feb 7-9 to discuss Myanmar project partnership opportunities. Also in attendance were Dr John Conallin (from Delft-IHE and co-organiser/facilitator with Dr Lee Baumgartner) and Institute Adjuncts Dr Martin Mallen-Cooper, from Fishway Consulting Services and Dr Tim Marsden from Australasian Fish Passage Services.

The ILWS hosted workshop brought together experts with specialities in economic development, fisheries, sediment, river flow, wetlands, sustainable development, to consider opportunities for Basin scale planning for Myanmar. The team from spent three days in detailed discussions regarding potential research priorities on water and land development issues in Myanmar. They settled on four thematic areas for further development:

• Migratory fish ecology and connectivity
• Sustainable hydro-power
• Irrigation systems and off-channel habitats
• Integrated water resource management in Inle Lake

The meeting was extremely productive and has set the scene for future international collaboration.

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Innovation in Landscape Conservation

The North East Catchment Management Authority's "Innovation in Landscape Conservation" environment forum held on Tuesday, May 17 at CSU's Wangaratta Study Centre certainly "hit the mark." Around 80 landholders, NRM agency representatives, Landcare group members and others with an interest in the environment, attended the all day event which included the John Paul Memorial Lecture (given by the Institute's Dr Dale Nimmo), the launch of the North East Conservation Fund, the experiences of the Mount Elephant Community Management Inc., and an interesting talk on conservation funding by Gerard O'Neill, CEO Bush Heritage. The afternoon sessions on deer management and fish ecology (with the Institute's Dr Lee Baumgartner) were equally interesting. The event (with partners the Institute, Trust for Nature, and DEWLP) is planned to become an annual one.

Photo  `from left Ben Fahey (Parks Vic), Neil McCarthy (NECMA), Sue Campbell

Panel discussion on Fish ecology from left Glen Johnson (DEWLP), Matt Barwick (NSW DPI) and Lee Baumgartner

Mekong Fish Passage Conference
Applying Innovation to Secure Fisheries Productivity

This conference was part of the  ACIAR  "Quantifying improved fisheries productivity at fish passage rehabilitation sites in Lao PDR" project.

Over 160 local and international delegates attended the conference which was hosted by one of the project's partners, the Living Aquatic Resources Research Centre, in Vientiane, Lao PDR, November 14-17.

2015

2014

Getting on the Rails