20th seminar goes ‘back to the future’

An annual Wimmera Biodiversity Seminar in Horsham Town Hall next month will celebrate the event’s 20th anniversary with a ‘Back to the Future’ theme.

It will be the first time the event will be in Horsham, but a tradition of running the event on the first Thursday of spring will continue.

Seminar committee member La Vergne Lehmann said organisers were excited to celebrate 20 years of an iconic Wimmera event.

“There have been so many people involved in putting this event together over many years,” she said.

“To know that it is still running and is more relevant than ever is a tribute to the hard work put into developing a great program every year.”

In reflecting on the past, there will be presentations on water-saving outcomes of the Wimmera-mallee Pipeline and the role of the Victorian National Parks Association in the establishment of Little Desert National Park.

There will also be presentations on the impact of large biolink projects, involving the planting of thousands of trees in the past 20 years, on biodiversity and the environment.

Speakers at the seminar will discuss what the future holds in relation to biodiversity.

They include Amanda Garner from newly formed Australian Native Foods and Botanicals, NFAB, an industry group that aims to work with traditional owners and farmers to develop a viable native food and produce sector – linking biodiversity with economic development.

Technology of the future will feature in a Belinda Cant presentation on the use of modern Lidar technology to improve Mallee Fowl Mound identification in Little Desert National Park.

Australian Farmers for Climate Action is another new group looking into the future and the impact of climate change.

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning representative Pauline Rudolph said the region had seen unprecedented changes in the past 20 years. “These include from species we thought no longer existed through to the impact of fire,” she said.

“If there is one thing we know, the next 20 years will also provide us with many challenges as we navigate through climate change to better understand the value of biodiversity.”

The traditional seminar tour will be in the afternoon of the September 7 event and feature a visit to West Wail Flora and Fauna Reserve, which has unique threatened species and indigenous cultural trees.

Evening activities will include reflections from a panel of people involved in the event for more than 20 years, before a dinner and then a performance by renowned singer-songwriter Neil Murray.

Wimmera Catchment Management Authority, Bank Australia and DELWP are supporting this year’s seminar.

Organising committee representatives are also from GWM Water, Trust for Nature, Barengi Gadjin Land Council, Parks Victoria and Grampians Central West Waste and Resource Recovery Group.

Seminar tickets are $99 for the whole event, $65 for a day session, $60 for an evening session with dinner and $30 for the after-dinner Neil Murray concert.

Tickets are available online at the Horsham Town Hall website www. horshamtownhall.com.au.