Australian Protected Areas Congress 2008 (APAC08)
Queensland’s Centenary of Parks celebrations culminated at the end of November 2008 with the Australian Protected Areas Congress (APAC08) at Novotel Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast. APAC08 – Protected Areas in the Century of Change.
The conference brought together over 300 delegates including leading experts, managers, partners and theorists in protected area research, design and management from across Australia and the Asia Pacific region.
The five-day program began with field trips to different destinations around the Sunshine Coast Burnett Region and local QPW staff were able to showcase their patch throughout the spectacularly sunny day.
The official opening of the congress included a warm welcome to country by Lurlene Henderson, Elder of the Kabi Kabi people Traditional Owners of the land on which the congress was held.
The former QLD Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation Andrew McNamara, gave a heartfelt address citing the challenges and opportunities facing protected area management in Queensland both now and in the immediate future. Many of the sentiments expressed by McNamara were built upon by Honourable Peter Garrett MP Federal Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts via a video presentation.
The predominant themes for the congress were protected area values and benefits, building the protected area system, partnerships and shared stewardship, and sustaining effective management.
Many of the delegates commented on the quality of the speakers and the variety of topics presented mixing academic and scientific theory and research with practical day-to-day management methods and real life case studies.
The third day of the congress, gave the delegates a chance to participate in a master class, symposia and workshops across a range of topics.
On the final day of the program a panel of experts, including many of our international guest speakers, were asked to debate the issues around a series of hypothetical future scenarios over the next century. The discussion centred on debating questions such as, “are protected areas relevant to conserving biodiversity and protecting valuable resources?”, and “can people live in national parks without destroying them?”
The Congress Steering Committee, in co-operation with Novotel Twin Waters Resort, implemented a sustainable conference strategy that included a carbon strategy using the basic approach of measure, minimise, and offset. The Committee engaged Ecofund Queensland to calculate the Congress carbon footprint based on emission sources selected by the Committee and included vehicle use, charter vehicle use, electricity use at the venue and speaker flights. EcoFundQ arranged the purchase of CO2 offsets accredited by the Australian Government’s Greenhouse Friendly Program to compensate for emissions from the congress.
To view the APAC08 Proceedings go here.
Last updated: 17 August 2009