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.
Scholarship applications are now open for our 2022 Adaptive Management for Conservation training program, including our keystone course on Applying the Conservation Standards.
Join conservation practitioners from around the world in our online and field-based courses.
Applications close December 1st, 2021. Please visit https://pacollaboration.org/scholarships for more information and instructions to apply.
The second phase of our Blue Mountains Upland Swamps project is now underway.
A monitoring program has been implemented, equipment has been procured and installed, our citizen scientists have been inducted, the first official data collection expedition has been completed, and the first dataset has now been analysed. The development of an online decision support tool for assessing impacts and informing restoration efforts is also in progress.
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.
Over the past 12 months the Institute worked with conservation education leaders to successfully develop and deliver a conservation capacity-building program in partnership with the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA).
The customised training program was supported by the UNDP Global Environment Facility and was designed to help CEPA prepare for the strategic implementation of nearly 60 protected areas in PNG.
The Protected Areas Collaboration for Learning & Research (PAC) has announced a new joint venture agreement with partners the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute.
The collaboration brings together organisations, experts and practitioners dedicated to growing education, research and learning for heritage protection, stewardship, conservation management and capacity development for protected areas in Australia, Asia and the Pacific.
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.
Due to the current global pandemic restricting travel and social distancing, the Institute is converting our usual field-based Adaptive Management for Conservation course into a 2-week fully-online course, accessible to people from around the world.
Dr. Rosalie Chapple, the Institute’s Education Program leader, welcomes this opportunity to adaptively manage the delivery of the course itself, in response to the urgent need to build capacity for conservation.
The Federal Government will provide $142,000 to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute under the Heritage Grants Program for a project that will develop a monitoring system for endangered upland swamps within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
This Commonwealth Heritage Grant is of enormous value in helping support the conservation of the critically endangered upland swamps of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage area.
