Learn about the unique landscape surrounding Albany at the Albany Sandplain and Wetlands Forum

Experts will weigh in on the issues facing the unique landscape surrounding Albany at the Albany Sandplain and Wetlands Forum next month.

Over a three-day program from October 3 to 5, participants will learn about the environmental issues facing the Albany Sandplain and North Stirlings Basin area, from experts across the fields of conservation, agronomy, climate, hydrology and economics.

The forum, hosted by South Coast Natural Resource Management, will start with a field trip on October 3 to Ballogup/Lake Pleasant View and Ten Mile Swamp in the Manypeaks area, followed by two days of presentations at the Albany Entertainment Centre.

More than 20 experts will present over the two days, including Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development senior principal research scientist Dr Richard George, 2022 Australian Government Landcare Farming Award winner Sylvia Leighton, and UWA adjunct professors Dr Bryson Bates and Dr Don McFarlane.

Dr McFarlane, who worked as a hydrogeologist in the Albany area for 11 years, organised the forum and said it would focus on the unique qualities of the Albany Sandplain and the sedimentary basin beneath it.

The sandplain is an area between Albany, Tambellup and Bremer Bay and contains freshwater inland lakes.

Dr McFarlane said the forum would examine the issues facing the region and possible solutions.

“Basically, about 40 or 50 million years ago, Antarctica broke away from Australia and the southern part of Australia all slumped down and the sea came in,” he said.

“And this is where the sedimentary basin occurred, and that sea went all the way in as far as Tambellup basically. It laid down all these sediments, so it’s very different from the Wheatbelt and this is why we want to really concentrate on why is it different, and what are the assets of it and also what are the things that are causing people that own that land a number of problems.”

Dr McFarlane said the impact of climate change on the Albany Sandplain would be one focus of the forum.

“It’s full of lakes, particularly last year, when it was very wet . . . there were water sheets all over that that area and it caused major problems for the farmers,” he said.

“The three years before that it was drought, so it seems to be that the climate now is becoming more extreme.”

“It’s more likely to get to dry, or a wet year, than we had in the past, instead of just an average year, it seems to be a little bit more variable, if you like.”

The forum will include the presentation of data from salinity mappings by the CSIRO and satellite imagery of blue gums in the area from over the last 30 years.

Attendees will also workshop potential solutions to the issues facing the Albany Sandplain.

Funding and support for the forum was provided by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, Birdlife Australia and Great Southern Development Commission.

For tickets, visit bit.ly/3RWUCMn.