Wetland Management Tools & Techniques
Wetlands.edu
August 2006
Wetlands.edu is a national wetland management skills program designed to provide nationwide capacity building and training for regional and community investments in wetland-related assessment, planning and actions. It forms part of Wetland Management Solutions – a new umbrella group of wetland practitioners and experts working together for better management of Australian wetlands.
Who is Wetlands.edu aimed at?
Wetlands.edu program is aimed primarily at regional natural resource management and catchment bodies and their stakeholders, including Landcare and river management groups, local governments and private landholders. The training will be delivered across the nation through wetland centres and key regional towns and cities, with a particular emphasis on training and support options that address regional and local issues and needs.
Who is developing and delivering Wetlands.edu?
The program is being developed and delivered by the Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia consortium comprising the Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia, the Wetland Education and Training program of the Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Banrock Station Wine and Wetland Centre, Dr Bill Phillips (Mainstream Environmental Consulting), Dr Rhonda Butcher (Water’s Edge Consulting) and Jennifer Hale Consulting.
Funding for Wetlands.edu
The program is funded for three years by the Australian Government through the National Competitive Component of the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT). The goal, however, is to continue the training program beyond the NHT investment through the phasing in of user-pays, sponsorships and by forming strategic partnerships. The program has already secured the Murray-Darling Basin Commission as its first strategic partner.
Training needs assessment
In late 2005 Wetland.edu undertook a training needs assessment which resulted in over 120 responses to a questionnaire. This has helped identify priority training themes, the preferred duration of training events and other information to guide the development of training modules. Work is currently under way on developing a suite of priority training modules, which is expected to be pilot tested at three venues in the latter half of 2006.
What training modules can be expected?
A primary focus of the training will be on retaining or improving the condition of wetland assets. This will be achieved through improved local and regional/ catchment-level knowledge of the latest wetland planning and management practices. A range of highly-relevant subject matter is being considered for the development of training modules, and may include:
- wetland ecology
- wetland hydrology
- wetland inventory and assessment approaches
- wetland classification and prioritisation approaches
- wetland monitoring and use of indicators
- development of management plan for wetland sites
- managing wetlands for multiple outcomes
- raising awareness and appreciation of wetland values
- managing wetlands to benefit native fish
- managing wetlands in the urban setting, and
- climate change implications on wetlands.
Further information
Further information on Wetlands.edu can be obtained from its website at www.wetlandsedu.org.au, which is aimed at providing program updates, scheduled training events and other details as the program evolves. Alternatively, please contact one of the Wetlands.edu coordinators: Dr Bill Phillips (Tel: 02-6281 7470 / 0438 817 470; mainstream@mainstream.com.au) or Dr Mathew Maliel (Tel: 02-6166 0332 / 0414 328 931; mathew.maliel@mainstream.com.au)
