Despite being limited to minor flooding in recent years, the devastating flood of 1993 and the flood of 2010, are still present in the minds of many in the Rose City.
We are often told we are well overdue for major flooding event.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Benalla has avoided higher water levels since 2010, the same year Lake Mokoan was decommissioned.
One outcome of the Winton Wetlands Science Forum 2022, on this week, was that greater recognition needs to be given to the vital role natural wetlands play in reducing the risk and severity of major floods.
Expert speakers at the forum said that increased public and private funding, and closer co-operation between scientists, landowners, local communities and regulators was essential to protect individuals and communities in coming years.
Event organiser and wetlands ecologist Lance Lloyd said there was a consensus among most at the forum that resources for wetlands protection and restoration needed to be stepped up.
“We’ve all been impressed at the forum to get updates about a range of fantastic projects that are underway to preserve and restore wetlands in different locations, supported by different organisations and funding sources — but we also know so much more can be done given the right resourcing and cooperation levels,” he said.
“The fact that so many people working in the field are willing to come together this week and share their knowledge and the lessons being learned is a very heartening step along the way.”
Mr Lloyd said more people were becoming aware that wetlands brought benefits that went beyond the pure environmental benefits – important as these were.
Wetlands also helped protect lives, livelihoods and potentially whole communities by acting as giant natural ‘sponges’ along watercourses which would otherwise concentrate water flows in much narrower ways, which may cause major flooding.
This was on top of the role in preserving native plant and animal species, insects and other forms of life which all had a role to play in maintaining an environment safe and healthy for humans to live in.
Experts at the forum also explained that excessive drainage and degradation of wetlands for urban development, combined with climate change and other factors, posed very real dangers to human habitat in the years ahead.
Key themes and topics which emerged at this week’s two-day wetland science forum included:
- the value of developing strong “communities of practice” among scientists and practitioners working on restoration projects;
- the importance of taking science-based and evidence-based approaches at all times;
- the need for co-operation across groups to achieve ‘landscape-wide’ action that could extend beyond isolated individual projects; and
- the potential to get more done, in less time, through streamlining of some of some government approval, monitoring and funding processes.
Mr Lloyd thought there was strong recognition at the forum of the importance of building effective partnerships of all kinds.
“Particularly at the local level between landholders and other parties who have best knowledge of the landscape and a shared commitment to keeping it in good health,” he said.
“There must be genuine respect to work together on all sides.”
The science forum received sponsorship from Foe, a production company making a feature film, of the same name, at Winton Wetlands, on behalf of Amazon, for worldwide distribution.
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