The ‘Emerging Issues in Waterway Health Forum’, hosted by Wet Tropics Waterways, aims to raise awareness of new issues that are impacting waterways and ways to manage them.

This Forum will feature experts and speakers on four topics that are identified as emerging issues with the potential to negatively impact the condition of our waterways in the future. The four topics are: PFAS, Climate Change, Microplastics and Aquatic Biosecurity.

Keynote speakers include Dr Michelle Blewitt from the Australian Microplastic Assessment Project, which is collecting data on pollution hotspots to add weight to an issue that is invisible to the human eye but an increasing threat to marine life and the food chain.

Dr Karl Bowles will speak on the impacts of PFAS, or polyfluorinated alkyl substances, in waterways. The synthetic chemicals have been used in industrial and household products since the 1950s for their heat, stain and water resistance properties.

Other guest speakers include Dr Brendan Ebner on aquatic biosecurity and Professor Steve Turton on the impacts of climate change on local river catchments.

This will be an opportunity to hear from an expert on each topic, engage in discussion about management actions and network with other water quality practitioners. 

Limited tickets available - register early to avoid disappointment!

Click here to visit the forum website - https://wettropicswaterways.org.au/home/forum2019