The seminar was convened by NQCC to provide a broad picture of the environments across the whole of the Burdekin Basin, and the aspects of the environment that are vulnerable to construction of dams, some of which are already becoming evident.
Presentations were delivered by courtesy of: TropWATER; CSIRO; AIMS and an independent speaker. The seminar was attended by representatives of local government, irrigator and fishing groups, scientists, State agencies and community groups.
Seminar Content
Welcome to Country - Eddie Smallwood
Eddie Smallwood is a Bindal elder and Chairman of Gudjuda Reference Group Aboriginal Corporation.
River Flows, Catchments and Turbidity - Professor Damien Burrows
Prof. Damien Burrows is the founding director of TropWATER at JCU. He specialises in freshwater estuarine and coastal aquatic systems.
Sediment (Fine and Course) and Dam Interactions - Dr Stephen Lewis
Dr Stephen Lewis is a principal research scientist at TropWATER at JCU. His research focus in on catchment to reef processes.
Rethinking Irrigation and Water Management - Dr Keith Bristow
Dr Keith Bristow is a Senior Principal research scientist with CSIRO. He is a sol physicist and has worked extensively on water table rise and salinity, and the means of addressing this in the Lower Burdekin
Aquatic Life and Habitat of Bowling Green Bay - Dr Nathan Waltham
Dr Nathan Waltham is a principal research scientist with TropWATER, working on freshwater ecologies and in particular the RAMSAR wetlands associated with Bowling Green Bay.
Effects of Terrestrial Runoff on Water Clarity and Reef Health - Dr Katharina Fabricius
Dr Katharina Fabricius is a reef ecologist with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). Her research has focused on the ecological process of the reef and how to maximise its capacity to recover from acute and chronic disturbances.
Coastal Morphology and Erosion of Cape Bowling Green - Professor Eric Wolanski
Prof. Eric Wolanski is a coastal oceanographer and ecohydrologist based at TropWATER, JCU. He links physics and biology - in estuarine, coastal, reef and savannah ecosystems.
Does the Economic Case for Hells Gates Dam Stack Up? - Dr Roy Murray-Prior
Prof. Roy Murray-Prior (formerly Associate Professor Farm Management & Agricultural Extension – Curtin University) has worked extensively in development of agricultural production systems in Australia and overseas.
Q&A & Stakeholder Comments (watch online)
Panel Session Introduction and Reflections