The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is gearing up to host its much-anticipated 21st General Assembly and Scientific Symposium in Sydney August 31 - September 9. The overarching theme, "Heritage Changes," is a clarion call to examine the dynamic shifts shaping the 2020s and the pivotal role heritage plays in driving positive change and fostering a sustainable future. Find out more here.
It is our great pleasure to formally announce the appointment of Jane Powles as our CEO. Jane brings an impressive skill set, experience and background to the role, including executive leadership, policy development and advocacy in a range of for-purpose organisations. Jane comes with a strong passion for working collaboratively to drive change for a more just, equitable and sustainable world and is looking forward to supporting conservation efforts in the region.
After 2 years of teaching online, we are thrilled to once again be able to offer our field-based course on Applying the Conservation Standards.
From 12th -16th September 2022 we will be hosting conservation professionals from across Australia and the Asia-Pacific at the Katoomba Convention Centre for a 5 day intensive, collaborative learning experience in residence and in nature. Registrations of interest are now open, with enrolments closing at the end of July.
In late 2020, the Protected Areas Collaboration for Learning & Research (PAC) was established as a joint venture between the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute and the Tasmanian Land Conservancy. In 2021, The Nature Conservancy also joined the venture through a Memorandum of Understanding. A comprehensive update on the activities and initiatives of the PAC joint venture can be viewed here: https://www.bmwhi.org/protected-areas-collaboration
The Institute is pleased to support the release of the independent documentary ‘Mining the Blue Mountains’ by filmmaker James O’Connor, investigating mining pollution in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage area.
The film features Dr Ian Wright, a BMWHI research associate and WSU water scientist who has been studying pollution from mines and the related impact on waterways in the World Heritage Area for over ten years.
Videos are now available of the seminars delivered over a free weekend event co-hosted with the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, celebrating and showcasing the eco-arts in the Blue Mountains and beyond.
This event included the launch of the Recovery exhibition - the culmination of a collaboration between artists and citizen scientists exploring human responses to and the recovery of nature after the devastating fires of 2019/20.
The Institute has been awarded a grant of $130,000 from the Australian Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through their Bushfire Recovery for Wildlife and Habitat Community Grants Program.
The project will engage scientists and the community in conducting critical post-fire fieldwork in the Grose Valley region of the Blue Mountains, to inform remedial actions and preparations for future fire events.
In 2020, the Peter und Luise Hager Foundation in Germany gifted the Institute a generous €30k Euro donation to support our bushfire recovery efforts, monitoring and assessing the impacts of fire on flora and fauna in key areas across the Blue Mountains national park.
Knowing that there is still more work to be done, they have again supported us with another €10k Euro in 2021.
The Greater Blue Mountains will share in $13 million of Morrison Government funding to support habitat and wildlife recovery in the wake last summer’s bushfires.
Minister for the Environment, the Hon Sussan Ley, announced the funding allocation in Springwood on November 23 where she and Liberal Senator for Western Sydney, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, thanked organisations, including BMWHI, involved in the bushfire recovery process.
A team from Macquarie University is working with the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to investigate the remains of a shale-mining settlement near Ruined Castle in the Jamison Valley, used by workers from the 1880s until around 1914.
The summer fires revealed artefacts and remnants previously obscured by vegetation, including wall foundations, hearths, paving, corrugated iron roofing, ceramics and glass.
The NSW Government has commissioned an independent expert inquiry into the 2019-20 bushfire season, seeking advice and input ahead of the next bushfire season.
The Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute submission to the NSW Bushfire Inquiry has outlined four key recommendations, spanning fire management practices, funding and communication recommendations. Read our full submission and learn more about the bushfire inquiry in this article.
Dr John Merson and Dr Rosalie Chapple have been invited to represent BMWHI and the Australian Committee for the IUCN in a series of ministerial roundtables reviewing the impacts of bushfires on Australian world heritage sites.
Chaired by Environment Minister Sussan Ley and including the Threatened Species Commissioner, Dr Sally Box, these roundtables are helping shape the federal government’s wildlife and habitat recovery strategies.
Approximately 80% of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area has been affected by wildfires and it’s possible that more fires will follow before the season ends. However, the situation may not be a total catastrophe.
Fire has not burnt through all places equally and the impact may not be as severe as we previously thought. In several fire affected areas, the canopy was spared and we are seeing promising signs of recovery and refugia as more data become available.
