3 July 2017
Western Australia is home to some of the most at-risk wildlife in the world, with some species dangerously close to extinction.
In a bid to address the rapid decline of threatened flora and fauna such as the Western Ground Parrot, and to attract attention to this escalating crisis on a national scale, conservation experts from far and wide will be travelling to the Mid West this September.
The occasion for their gathering is the WA Threatened Species Forum which is being organised by Natural Resource Management WA (NRM WA) – comprising WA’s seven regional NRM groups – and the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions in Geraldton on 7-8 September 2017.
This will be the second time the WA Threatened Species Forum will be held in Geraldton, with the inaugural event in 2015 bringing together more than 180 people with a common concern for WA’s threatened plants and animals.
The Forum will feature key note presentations from Carlos Drews, Executive Director of the Jane Goodall Institute; Penny Figgis, Vice Chair for Oceania of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas; Sebastian Lang, Director of the Office of the Threatened Species Commissioner; and Brendan Wintle, Hub Director of the Threatened Species Recovery Hub.
Mark Burgman, the Director of the Centre for Environmental Policy and Professor in Risk Analysis and Environmental Policy at the Imperial College of London, will also address the Forum attendees – live from London.
Australia’s Threatened Species Commissioner Gregory Andrews said the Forum was a great initiative and congratulated NACC NRM for its willingness to host the event.
“I attended the first WA Threatened Species Forum in 2015, and this year’s agenda looks to be even better,” he said.
Jim Sullivan NRM WA Chair said the Forum will present leading-edge science in biodiversity conservation.
“NRMWA continually seeks the most accurate and up to date science, new investors, and partners and collaborators to make the biggest difference we can to the future of our native plants and animals,” he said. “The WA Threatened Species Forum will help with all of these objectives.”
DBCA Executive Director of Science and Conservation Margaret Byrne said the forum was a way for organisations to share knowledge on the conservation of threatened species.
“By bringing together a range of land managers, government agencies, NRM groups, and non-government organisations, we can continue to apply a strategic and collaborative approach to threatened species conservation in Western Australia,” she said.
The oral sessions held across the two days will focus on grass-roots community involvement, Traditional Owner protection of plants and animals, seed technology, landscape-scale management of threatened species, and threatened bird and mammal recovery.
Some of the world’s most elusive and mysterious birds, including the Night Parrot and Western Ground Parrot, will be on display at the Forum poster session, and exciting field trips to Kalbarri National Park and the Abrolhos Islands will be on offer.
Guests will have the opportunity to socialise and network on Thursday evening during a sundowner, and Friday evening will feature a free community screening of the Western Ground Parrot documentary ‘Secrets at Sunrise’.
To register and to book a place on the field trip, or for more information, please visit the Forum website: http://www.nacc.com.au/project/2017-wa-threatened-species-forum/
MEDIA CONTACT: Kym Jefferies Kym.Jefferies@nacc.com.au (08) 9938 0100. High resolution photos are available upon request.
