An integral part of our festival is the forum, where issues relating to the environment and farming practices are discussed by guest speakers and locals.
“Brolgas and their disappearing wetlands”
Parks Vic marquee 11am till 1pm
Introduction – string quartet “Lake Bolac Reverie”
Interested people are invited to join the presenters for lunch at the conclusion of the forum.
Presenters will include:
Dr Kate Auty - Victorian Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability
Inka Veltheim - a PhD student from the University of Ballarat, will outline her research into key seasonal and local movements of brolgas, their life history and use of habitat, aiming to identify key roosting, breeding and foraging habitat areas in south-west Victoria.
Local wetlands expert Dr Michelle Casanova will explain the important contribution of wetlands to biodiversity in the region.
Melbourne teacher Karen Johns will speak on her trip with Earthwatch to the ecologically fragile Pantanal wetlands in Brazil. See http://ecogold.teachlive.org.au/
The Healing Walkers will share their experiences on the trek from the junction of the Mt Emu Creek and Hopkins River upstream to Darlington
A highlight of the forum will be the launch of the Brolga Recovery Group by Bird Observation & Conservation Australia [ BOCA] and Trust for Nature.
Statement from Trust for Nature Strategic Plan
"Of the 13,000 wetlands in Victoria, 37% have been lost since European settlement and another 30% highly modified by drainage or other degrading activities.
90% of the wetlands that have been lost have been lost from private land, with particularly high losses of shallow freshwater marshes and freshwater meadows.
Wetlands and rivers are the powerhouses of life, being highly productive environments. Their role will become more and more critical in the context of climate change and it is imperative that we try to protect them now.
Wetlands are critical to the long-term survival of many threatened species, including the Corangamite Water Skink, Growling Grass Frog, Brolga, Eastern Great Egret, Blue-billed Duck and Orange-bellied Parrot. To date, Trust for Nature and covenantors have protected nearly 1000 ha of wetland across the State. In the next ten years, Trust for Nature aims to protect another 10,000 ha across public and private land, and participate in programs to return water to priority sites.
Please help protect our wetlands." www.tfn.org.au
Previous Forums
2009 Forum
“Climate, Energy and the Future”
Keynote speakers
Mark Wootton of Jigsaw Farms & futurist Neil Henson
2008 Forum featured talks on the geology of the Lake Bolac catchment, soil
health, sustainability and carbon sequestration in soil.
Keynote speaker was Christine Jones of the Carbon Coalition
For more info on Christine’s work and other soil carbon related sites see the following links
Check out the Warrnambool Standard’s review of Christine’s speech at the Eel Festival.
Click here to download a pdf of Bill Sharp’s message
..and here to hear from Debbie Shea from the upper Hopkins.
Click on the links below to download presentations from previous forums.
