[Aqualist] Limestone Coast Workshop; Oct 2004; Australia

[Tim Barrows]

From: Susan White <S.White at latrobe.edu.au>

Hallo to all
I am sending the first circular for the Limestone Coast 2004 Workshop.
We believe this is going to be a great opportunity to see a distinctive and 
"different" karst area, punctuated with recent volcanoes. The Naracoorte 
fossil deposit is one of the most remarkable in the world and fully 
deserves its World Heritage status.
So, we hope to see you all.
Please pass this circular on through any mailing list to which you have access.
With Best Wishes
Elery Hamilton-Smith, AM
Convenor Limestone Coast 2004
Chair IUCN/WCPA Task Force on Caves and Karst.
____________________________________________________________
LIMESTONE COAST 2004
The closing workshop of IGCP 448 - Global Karst Correlation, and
The First International Workshop on RAMSAR Subterranean Wetlands
10-17th October 2004
FIRST CIRCULAR: September 2003
Introducing the Workshop
The workshop will pursue the overall concept of understanding the 
relationship between karst resources, the biotic environment and the human 
situation. It will emphasise the relationships between earth sciences and 
bio-sciences and between scientific understandings and human activities.
The objectives of IGCP 448 can be summarised as being to compare:
1. karst ecological systems across various regions, and in particular, 
their mechanism of formation and different impacts on human life
2. micro-karst ecological systems as affected by the geochemical and 
evolutionary context, and hence the implications for rehabilitation of 
karstlands
3. subterranean ecological systems of karst from geographical and 
geological perspectives, and analyse their influences on the evolution of 
karst-related biota
4. interactions of karst ecological systems and human activities
Turning to subterranean wetlands specifically, the Convention on 
conservation and sustainability of wetlands was agreed in 1971 at a meeting 
in the Iranian town of Ramsar, and has since become generally known as the 
RAMSAR Convention. It has worked to further the conservation and effective 
management of wetlands ever since.
At the 6th conference of contracting parties in Brisbane in 1996, it was 
decided that a special program should be set up to examine and advise upon 
the issues relating to karst and other subterranean wetlands. A small 
working group met in Slovenia in 1998 and prepared a series of 
recommendations for implementation of the subterranean wetlands program. 
These were accepted, the formal recognition of subterranean wetlands of 
international importance has since proceeded, and this will be the first 
workshop for the exchange of experience in this area. This is an important 
topic for Australia, given the current nation-wide emphasis on water 
quality and groundwater-dependent ecosystems. Clearly the two themes are 
closely related, and it makes a lot of sense to bring them together in a 
common meeting.
The Workshop Venue:
The workshop will be based at the Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Area, 
with its remarkable fossil deposits. This is located in what is now known 
as the Limestone Coast region of Southern Australia:
Area 21, 376 square kilometres
Population 60,000 plus
What a great spot! The landscape is relatively flat, with 
horizontally-bedded Miocene limestone overlain by a series of Quaternary 
dune ridges running parallel to the present day coast, which provide 
evidence of past sea levels and coastlines. Recent volcanoes penetrate the 
limestones, the most spectacular being the Mount Gambier complex, the water 
from which supports a population of 25,000 in the township of Mt Gambier. 
The region has a wealth of caves, mostly along the former dune ridges that 
punctuate the landscape, with cenotes and karst lakes in the south. 
Syngenetic karst and karst pavements also feature in the Limestone Coast 
and it is one of the few karst areas in the world where centores have 
developed. The cenotes contain a variety of freshwater stromatolites while 
providing habitat for stygofauna as well as a readily accessible source of 
water for human and stock consumption. The cenotes and other caves drowned 
by rising sea-level rise attract cave divers from around the world. The 
caves of the region hold a rich fossil bone record (featuring late 
Pleistocene megafauna), the best of which is encompassed within the 
Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Area. Many caves provide habitat for bats 
and invertebrate faunas.
The Limestone Coast boasts one of the most dynamic and innovative regional 
economies in South Australia, and is home to some of the state's most 
productive and lucrative industries. They are heavily reliant on the karst 
aquifer, described as the best in South Australia, but certainly not what 
it once was! Both drainage schemes and increasing demand for water have 
played a part in lowering the aquifer. The economic development program 
includes:
· Sheep, meat, wool and prime beef production along with grain, seed, and 
potato production that generates approximately $Au480 million per annum
· 230 million litres of milk and other dairy products produced annually in the
· 20% of Australian premium wine production, with more than 13,000 hectare 
of vineyards.
· The Limestone Coast's rock lobster industry is the most valuable seafood 
industry in South Australia, along with other commercial species: shark, 
abalone, octopus, and king crab. Land and sea based aquaculture features 
barramundi, Atlantic salmon, abalone, rainbow trout, fresh water yabbies 
and is constantly expanding.
· 85% of the State's forest plantations are in the Limestone Coast, 
comprising 100,000 hectares of Pinus radiata (softwood), and 35,000 
hectares of bluegums.
Tentative Program:
Sunday 10 Oct
0900
1900
Bus to Naracoorte departs from Melbourne
The Big Splash: Opening function, buffet dinner and keynote speaker.
Monday 11 Oct
0900
evening
Workshop presentations:
Setting the scene 1: the evolution of the World Heritage Area: geology, 
hydrology, palaeontology, biology, and cultural evolution of the Limestone 
Coast.
Setting the scene 2: environmental modification: where we are today...
Contributed papers
Local field visits to Victoria Fossil Cave and Wonambi Fossil Centre
Tuesday 12 Oct
0900
evening
Continuing workshop presentations
Outline of Wednesday field trips
Local field visits to Blanche Cave, Bat Cave and Bat observation centre
Wednesday 13 Oct
Field Trips to Mount Gambier Region. See below for details of the two programs.
Thursday 14 Oct
0900
1400
1900
Continuing workshop presentations
Poster Session
Workshop Dinner
Friday 15 Oct
Field Trips to Mt. Gambier Regions
Saturday 16 Oct
0900
1400
Continuing workshop presentations
Closing summaries
Looking to the future
Sunday 17 Oct
0800
Depart Naracoorte for Melbourne
FIELD TRIPS:
During the conference there will be two separate, day-long field trips 
visiting a wide variety of sites across the Limestone Coast region. Trip A 
will concentrate on the geology, hydrology and karst evolution of the 
region. Trip B will review human utilisation and modification of the 
karstic environment. Each trip will be self-contained and participants 
should partake in both trips in order to gain a full appreciation of the 
region and its use.
Buses will transport participants to the various sites. Lunches and morning 
and afternoon refreshments will be provided.
PRE- AND POST-CONFERENCE FIELD TRIPS:
Armstrong Osborne has offered to lead a trip to the impounded karsts of the 
Blue Mountains, including both Jenolan and Yarrangobilly, where his recent 
research has been carried out. This is a wonderful opportunity to discuss 
on site his contributions to understanding of the speleogenesis process and 
to see the sites which he has described.
We will also facilitate individual or small group visits to any other karst 
areas. Please indicate your interests on the registration form. Do remember 
that the Australia continent is the same size as the United States of 
America or that Europe is only two-thirds the size of Australia. Australia 
is roughly the size of all the South-east Asian countries. So, the 
organisers cannot guarantee that all interests can be satisfied, but we 
will certainly do our best.
An overview of Australian karst areas can be seen in Gillieson, D. and 
Spate, A. 1998. Karst and Caves in Australia and New Guinea, In Yuan 
Daoxian & Liu Zaihua (eds.), Global Karst Correlation, Science Press, 
Beijing PRC and VSP Press, Utrecht NL, pp 229-256. See also the Australian 
Speleological Federation <www.caves.org.au> and Australasian Cave and Karst 
Management Association <http://ackma.org> websites.
The Environment Australia website provides useful information on Australian 
protected areas: www.ea.gov.au/parks/
TRANSPORT:
Bus transport will be arranged for participants to and from Melbourne and 
Naracoorte on 10 and 17 October. Participants may elect to fly into 
Adelaide or Mount Gambier (the latter is very costly!) but in this event, 
you will be required to make your own transport arrangements for travel to 
and from Naracoorte. Transport from Mount Gambier may be available after 
consultation with the organisers.
ACCOMMODATION:
A range of accommodation will be available at Naracoorte including hotel, 
motel, cabin, bed and breakfast, and bunkhouse venues. Further information 
will be available in the second conference circular expected to be 
available in mid-November.
FOOD:
Other than opening function - The Big Splash - and the Workshop Dinner, 
lunches, and morning and afternoon teas, participants will be expected to 
provide their own breakfasts and evening meals. Details of food outlets in 
Naracoorte will be provided.
PAPERS AND POSTERS:
Intending participants are invited to submit proposals for papers and/or 
posters for presentation at the workshop. A full range of audio-visual 
equipment will be available. The organisers retain the right to accept or 
reject papers or posters and will enter into negotiations in this regard. 
Both papers and poster should fit into the workshop themes outlined above. 
Submissions should be directed to Sue White or Andy Spate (contact details 
below).
Paper presenters should bring their work on CD-ROM disks only as 
MS-PowerPoint or slideshow presentations only. Please: no laptops, memory 
sticks or other media. Please contact Andy Spate if you have any queries. 
Paper or poster titles and a 3-line abstract should be submitted to Susan 
White or Andy Spate by 14 November 2003. Upon acceptance (to be advised by 
mid-December 2003) a half-page abstract should be submitted by 12 April 
2004. Papers submitted later than 12th April will only be able to be 
presented as posters. Abstracts should be submitted electronically as 
MS-Word files using Times New Roman, 12 pt, font - double-spaced. Title and 
authors should be bold. Full affiliations should be given for each author.
A 20-minute period will be allowed for each spoken paper - followed by a 
10-minute discussion period.
PROCEEDINGS:
The organisers will publish proceedings as both CD-ROM and hardcopy via the 
auspices of the Australian Speleological Federation Inc. Presenters should 
provide electronic copies of papers and posters at the close of the 
workshop although there will be an opportunity to modify your presentation 
in light of discussion at the workshop.
The papers will be peer-reviewed before publication.
KEY CONTACTS:
Formal mail address: Limestone Coast Karst 2004, PO Box 134, Naracoorte, 
South Australia, Australia, 5271.
Convenor: Professor Elery Hamilton-Smith, PO Box 36, Carlton South, 
Victoria, Australia, 3053.
Telephone 61 3 9489 7785; Email: elery at alphalink.com.au
Program and papers: Susan White - IGCP 448 - 123Manningham Street, West 
Parkville, Victoria, Australia, 3052. Telephone/Fax 61 3 9328 4154; Email: 
S.White at latrobe.edu.au
Program and papers: Andy Spate - Subterranean wetlands - Optimal Karst 
Management, 2/10 Victoria Street, Hall, ACT, Australia, 2618. Telephone 61 
2 6230 9966; Email: andy.spate at aliencamel.com
On-site arrangements Steve Bourne, Limestone Coast Karst 2004, PO Box 134, 
Naracoorte, South Australia, Australia, 5271. Telephone 61 8 8762 2422; 
Email: Bourne.Steven at saugov.sa.gov.au
Workshop secretariat: Kent Henderson, PO Box 332, Williamstown, Victoria, 
Australia, 3016. Telephone 61 3 9398 0598; Email: kenthen at optushome.com.au

PRELIMINARY REGISTRATION FORM and EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

Send hard copies to Kent Henderson, PO Box 332, Williamstown, Victoria, 
Australia, 3016, or digital copy to Kent Henderson at 
kenthen at optushome.com.au if possible by 10th October 2003.
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Postal address: ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Telephone (please include international codes) 
_________________________________
Facsimile (please include international codes) 
_________________________________
Email: __________________________________________________________________
(please print very clearly if responding in hardcopy)
Will you be accompanied by a partner? ________________
Mark your preferred accommodation:
Hotel - Motel - Cabin - Caravan - Bed & Breakfast - Dormitory
Do you require vegetarian or any other special food? 
_____________________________
Are you interested to attend Dr. Osborne's workshop on speleogenesis 
____________
Are interested in visiting any other karst area, and if so, which?
Are you proposing to present a paper or poster (please circle one)?
Title: ___________________________________________________________________
Preliminary abstract:________________________________________________________