When - 25th May 2026
Time - 6pm - 7pm
Webinar- Registration Required
In our second webinar for 2026, we will be discussing how landscape rehydration techniques can be applied to the damaged, degraded forests of the Central Victorian Goldfields to help restore the ability of the land to absorb and hold water.
Over centuries of mining, logging, grazing and damage caused by human activity, the soil in these forests has been turned upside down and lost the nutrients and water-absorbing properties that allow it to function properly. Rain sheets off the forest floor instead of being absorbed into it to enrich the plants and fungi and aid decomposition. Mass erosion is causing further damage to waterways and upsetting the stability of the system.
Techniques long used in agricultural settings to help reduce erosion and replenish soil have now been successfully applied in severely degraded forests, including at our Spring Plains Pilot Demonstration Site.
In this workshop-webinar we will talk about the application of these techniques, how they are being used in both natural and agricultural settings and how they will be used in our new Goldfields Forest Restoration Project, demonstrating regeneration techniques across the region.
This webinar will be run in a more interactive style than usual, with participants invited to take part in open forum discussions at points throughout the presentation. All are welcome and no prior knowledge of the topic is required to participate.
Book now, as places will fill quickly! A recording will be available on our website and YouTube channel afterwards for those who couldn't make it, but please only register if you can attend the live presentation, as places are limited and the recording will be shared with all Biolinks subscribers afterwards.
Date: Monday 25 May
Time:6-7pm (AEST)
Location: Online via Zoom
A dedicated Question and Answer section with our presenters provides you the chance to ask your questions and there will opportunities for group discussion throughout.
Your presenters
Dr Paul Foreman is an Ecologist and Botanist with over 35 years of experience in a range of technical, strategic and management roles across Victoria and Australia. Paul has worked in State and Local Government, as well as Trust for Nature and Bush Heritage Australia, and established his own consulting business in 2009. Paul completed his PhD on the role of Aboriginal burning in grasslands and was the inaugural Chair for Biolinks Alliance.
Dr Chris Pocknee is an Ecologist at Biolinks Alliance, with a passion for understanding the threats facing native fauna and ecosystems and how we can address these issues. Over the past four years Chris has established and delivered the ecological monitoring program at our Spring Plains Pilot site, and is part of the team expanding these activities through our new large-landscape projects. Chris relishes collaborative ecological work and is passionate about empowering communities to conserve and recover local biodiversity.
Our webinars book out quickly -so make sure to register today. If you're no longer able to attend, please do us a favour and cancel your registration. You do not need to register just to receive the recording. We recommend you add the event to your calendar at registration to make things easier for joining at the start time.
All the best,
The Biolinks Alliance Team
Banner Image: A gully pond in a degraded and mining-damaged Goldfields forest, catching water and slowing flow to aid absorption. Credit: Cameron O’Mara