More than 70 community members attended a Revitalising Geographe Waterways (RGW) Community Science Update hosted by GeoCatch at the Busselton Tennis Club on Thursday 28 May, highlighting strong local interest in the future of the Ramsar-listed Vasse Wonnerup Wetlands.
The evening brought together community members, scientists and partner organisations to share the latest research, monitoring and on-ground efforts to improve wetland health.
The event opened with a Welcome to Country by Zac Webb of the Undalup Association, who shared the cultural significance of the Wadandi landscape and traditional place names across the region.
Dr Linda Kalnejais from Department of Water and Environmental Regulation delivered a water quality update and introduced the newly launched Vasse Wonnerup Wetlands digital Report Cards, which track key ecosystem indicators over time. Dr James Tweedley from Murdoch University spoke on fish and macroinvertebrates, explaining how they are used to assess ecosystem health.
GeoCatch Chair, Dr Vicky Winton, said that the information provided by the speakers gave great context for the complex set of issues facing wetlands generally whilst highlighting the outstanding significance of the Vasse-Wonnerup system right here in Busselton.
“The new report cards on the Revitalising Geographe Waterways website are a brilliant innovation that make environmental monitoring data accessible to the community,” said Dr Winton. “The report cards empower the community to understand for themselves the effects of different conditions over the years and to track any trends.”
The event reinforced the importance of collaboration between agencies, researchers, Traditional Custodians and the community, to protect and improve this internationally significant ecosystem.
This event is delivered by GeoCatch, as part of Healthy Estuaries WA and Revitalising Geographe Waterways. These State Government initiatives aim to support the long-term health of our south-west estuaries.
