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.
We’re proud to release a short film documenting the story behind our recent ‘Recovery’ exhibition. The project involved a creative collaboration between artists and scientists to respond to one of the most challenging natural disasters in recent history.
In tandem, we’re thrilled to launch the Eco-Art space, an online place for eco-artists to network, collaborate and showcase their work as well as serving as the host of the Recovery exhibition.
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 public is invited to join the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute and the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre for a free weekend of seminars celebrating and showcasing eco-arts in the Blue Mountains and beyond.
The seminars will also provide the first look at the BMWHI Recovery online exhibition - a collaboration between scientists, artists and writers exploring the aftermath of the devastating 19-20 fires.
The Australia Council for the Arts has granted the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute $78,500 for a project starting in 2021 that will link creative artists with our community of citizen scientists who monitor fire recovery and climate change impacts in the Blue Mountains.
The project will record and develop citizen science stories and collaborate on presentations of the resulting image-sound-story work, culminating in multi-artform exhibitions including a mix of live events and web-based digital arts.
