Conservation Council of WA Environment Matters Forum held at the UWA Oceans Institute on 28 May 2025.
Seven expert speakers in two hours with 15 minutes of Q&A.
The forum is opened by Wardandi custodian, Elder Mitchella Hutchins, followed by Dr Carole Peters as MC, speaking out aboout ‘The Politics of Fire’ and calling for change. Then six speakers present, including:
- E/Professor Don Bradshaw’s illuminating presentation, ‘Prescribed Burning: Is it Effective?’
- Adjunct A/Professor Philip Zylstra’s, fire behaviour scientist, with a 10min video ‘Fire and Forest Flammability’
- Uralla Luscombe-Pedro with her assessment of the damage from prescribed burning to an approx 270ha section of tingle forest in the Valley of the Giants
- Nathan McQuoid, landscape ecologist, questioning the application of huge areas of backburning when small fires are not extinguished early
- Dr Carolyn Orr, medical specialist and researcher, on the connections between human health and our environment’ (read by Dr Richard Yin, general practitioner in sustainable healthcare, past board member DEA and current President CCWA, in Carolyn’s absence).
The forum concludes with a Q&A session.