9.05 Lyn Beazley, WA Chief Scientist
The challenges ahead: The importance of science and people
Before being appointed WA’s Chief Scientist for the second time, Professor Beazley was a Professor of Zoology at the University of Western Australia, as well as being renowned for her work as a neuroscientist.
Much of her work is focused on making science accessible to the community, and encouraging young people into science. She says her primary goal is to bring science to all sectors of society and paramount in her mind is the training of young Western Australians and to share the message and joy of science, as well as the potential for careers within science for Western Australians.
She has strong views on the importance of the environment and climate change: “Good and healthy planets are hard to find, so think it’s time we address all of this now."
“If you take six square meters in Fitzgerald national park and count all the wildflowers, you will find more species represented there than in six square kilometres of the rainforest in Queensland, or in the whole of the northern hemisphere – this is an extraordinary legacy,.
However, she says there are huge challenges ahead, including educating the world that the time will come when we may well affect which species we can keep and which ones we can't.
9.30 Christine Jones, Soil Scientist
The Building Block of Sustainability – the Soil
Dr Christine Jones is an internationally renowned and highly respected groundcover and soils ecologist. She has a wealth of experience working with innovative landholders to implement regenerative land management techniques that enhance biodiversity, increase biological activity, sequester carbon, activate soil nutrient cycles, restore water balance, improve productivity and create new topsoil. Christine has organised and participated in workshops, field days, seminars and conferences throughout Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the USA and has a strong publication and presentation record.
Christine received a Community Fellowship Award from Land and Water Australia in 2001. The LWA Community Fellowship Program was designed to ‘provide recognition to individuals with an outstanding track record in mobilising and inspiring the community to better manage their land, water and vegetation’.
In March 2007, Christine launched the Australian Soil Carbon Accreditation Scheme, the first incentive payment scheme for soil carbon in the world - making Australia a leading nation in the recognition of soils as a verifiable carbon sink. The ASCAS project rewards landholders for adopting innovative techniques designed to sequester soil carbon and improve soil water holding capacity, thus reducing the atmospheric concentration of both carbon dioxide and water vapour, the two major greenhouse gases.
10.05am MORNING TEA
10.25 Dr Michael Robertson, Principal Research Scientist, Sustainable Ecosystems, CSIRO
What Works, What Doesn’t: Evaluating new farming systems and management practices
Mike Robertson was a hugely popular speaker at last year’s NACC forum, so we’ve invited him back for the State stage. Dr Robertson is a principal research scientist with CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems in Perth, where he leads a group of researchers focussing on sustainable land use in the wheatbelt.
Michael’s science background is in the physiology of crops and has a keen interest in crop agronomy, simulation modelling and exploring the sustainability of farming systems. Lately, his interests have extended to natural resource management and examining tradeoffs between production and the environment in agricultural landscapes.
10.55 Dr Andrew Huggett. Insight Ecology
Short-circuiting future shock: landscape restoration for declining woodland and shrub land birds in the Northern Agricultural Region
Andrew Huggett is a consultant ornithologist and ecologist from Coffs Harbour, NSW. He has a PhD in ornithology from University of New England (Armidale, NSW) and has worked in both western and eastern Australia.
It is the plight of our disappearing woodland and shrub land birds that drives Andrew’s interest in agricultural and urban systems. He is committed to understanding how birds and other fauna interact with their highly modified landscapes. Andrew is passionate about sharing this knowledge with (and learning from) farmers and all involved in NRM. His life work goal is to arrest the slide toward extinction of these and other species through informed, participatory landscape restoration and management.
Over the past 21 years, Andrew has worked with and for government NRM and biodiversity conservation agencies, non-government NRM organisations, and farmers. He has presented extensively at NRM, ecological and bird conferences, workshops and field days across Australia. Next year, Andrew will present his work at the 25th International Ornithological Congress in Brazil.
11.25 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF)
Caring For Our Country information session and feedback
A Caring For Our Country Facilitator will host an information session on the current Business Plan, targets and outcomes and answer your questions. This is your chance to talk to the Australian Government representatives face to face.
12.15 LUNCH
12.30 Poster Avenue opens for viewing
An ‘avenue’ of displays of projects from around the State.Queen Elizabeth II Centre, Geraldton
Wander down the avenue, view the poster information , talk to the project managers and hear their presentations – pick and choose what you’re interested in hearing more about.
12.30 Social Science Forum.
Bringing the community on board: What are people thinking, doing and believing?
Mezzanine, Queens Park Theatre
Open to all, free entry
The relationship between the science of people and the science of natural resource management is going to have to get closer if we’re to survive sustainably.
Social scientists, academics and interested people will gather for an informal forum looking at current research and trends on how communities and individuals relate to the environment, NRM and the land. With climate change now becoming a huge issue, how we help people to be comfortable with change will be a major issue for social scientists.
1pm Poster Avenue presentations begin
Queen Elizabeth II Centre, Geraldton
3.30 Closing Remarks and Competition winners announced
Queens Park Theatre
4pm Farewell Sundowner
Lower foyer, Queens Park Theatre