[Aqualist] GES Seminar: Professor Peter Gell | Tuesday 16 September, 1pm

[Michael-Shawn Fletcher]

Dear All,

 

The next University of Melbourne GES seminar will be given by Peter Gell on
Tuesday 16 September at 1pm. 



"Limits of Acceptable Wetland Change - Ramsar's Dilemma"

 

Theatre 2, Basement Level, 221 Bouverie St, Carlton

 

 

Abstract: The Ramsar Convention for the Protection of wetlands of
International significance requires its signatory members to identify the
natural ecological character of registered wetlands and to identify limits
of acceptable change in that character. Often, and particularly in
Australia, the natural character is considered to be that described at the
time of listing. Wetlands have been impacted greatly by human development
through pollution, flow regulation and water abstraction. Further, wetlands
have been subject to highly variable climates, and now to strong trends in
climate patterns. These compound to challenge the Ramsar notions of
'natural' and 'acceptable'. By unearthing the history of change to a
wetland, palaeoecology also challenge the Convention's stasis-centred
charter. In fact, any range of natural conditions could be selected for a
wetland depending on the point in time selected from the archives of the
past. Acceptance of this historical variability may open the way for Ramsar
to better accommodate change and variability, to better attribute cause of
change and to assess the risk to wetlands across landscapes. Here,
paleoecology can play a strong partnership role in the future management of
significant wetlands.

 

All are welcome.

 

Cheers,

Michael

 

 

Dr Michael-Shawn Fletcher

School of Geography

 

The University of Melbourne

221 Bouverie Street, Parkville VIC 3010, Australia

p. +61 3 90353048 | e. msfl at unimelb.edu.au

http://michaelsresearch.wordpress.com/ | http://melbournegeography.com/
<http://www.msf-photograph.com/>  | http://www.msf-photograph.com/