Otways Ecological Research Forum 2025

30 August 2025

Over 230 scientists, Traditional Owners, public and private land managers, and engaged community members gathered in Colac on 26 August to hear about all the wind-swept science and conservation programs being undertaken in the Otways region.

We were thrilled to have a diverse range of speakers this year, presenting across three themes: Forest & Heath Country, Invasive Species, and Sea Country.

The Forum continues to grow in relevance and application across the country, and to provide a unique collaboration/networking opportunity for individuals who share the same passion for these landscapes and seascapes.

The 2025 Otways Ecological Research Forum was brought to you by the Conservation Ecology Centre and supported by the Colac-Otway Shire, The Ian Potter Foundation, Agriculture Victoria, Beacon Ecological, Cassinia Environmental, and Wildlife Wonders.

Talks / Abstracts

• Biocultural Landscapes – Dr Jack Pascoe, University of Melbourne & Conservation Ecology Centre

• Developing a Vision for Ground Parrot Country – Laura Prentice, Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC)

  Laura Prentice, Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation

  Where are we going?  How will we get there?  There are a lot of us, are we all going to the same place? 

  A Vision for Restoring Ground Parrot Country is the story of how EMAC is bringing together various stakeholders to answer these questions and to define a vision for the future of Ground Parrot Country.

  This is a Biocultural values-led approach to landscape restoration and a story of the importance of working together.

• Researching Eastern Maar Sea Country: Priorities and Principles

  Mandy Watson, Kureen Clarke and John Clarke, Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation

  Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC), working on behalf of the Eastern Maar community, has been steadily building significant capacity in natural resource management. 

  In 2024 EMAC established a Nyamat Meerrteeyt (Sea Country) team with the aim of re-establishing traditional custodianship of Nyamat Meerrteeyt. 

  The Sea Country team of four is made up of scientists, experienced environmental managers and Eastern Maar Guardians who are trained custodians of the marine and costal environment, all working to assert Eastern Maar’s place in managing Nyamat Meerrteeyt.

  
  Despite the effects of colonisation, the Maar Society has always retained a close relationship with Nyamat Meerrteeyt, which was never ceded by the Eastern Maar. This is a fundamental truth which must be understood and acknowledged by anyone proposing to undertake research and/or development on Eastern Maar Country.
  

  EMAC is developing a Sea Country Plan which will outline Eastern Maar’s assertions for Sea Country. The plan will include position statements regarding Sea Country pressures and priorities for research. The plan will outline a set of principles for anyone wishing to engage, consult, partner with EMAC or conduct research on Eastern Maar Sea Country. 

  These principles speak to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, what Free Prior and Informed Consent looks like, and - for researchers - the value of relationships, including understanding Eastern Maar’s priorities and what unceded Country means in relation to data sovereignty, data collection and data sharing.

• Exploring 50,000 years of changing vegetation and fire on Gadubanud Country in The Carlisle Heath – Prof Michael-Shawn Fletcher, University of Melbourne

  This presentation unveils groundbreaking insights from a newly obtained high-resolution pollen and charcoal record spanning the last 50,000 years from the Carlisle Heath, situated within Gadubanud Country in the Otway Ranges of southeastern Australia.

  Our research reveals dramatic shifts in vegetation composition and fire regimes across three distinct periods. Prior to the Last Glacial Maximum, the landscape was dominated by highly flammable Eucalyptus species, characterised by frequent fire events. As the Last Ice Age set in, we observe a significant shift towards Allocasuarina (sheoak) dominance, indicating a cooler and potentially drier climate with notably reduced fire activity.

  The transition into the Holocene brought about a gradual increase in Eucalyptus, albeit with lower fire frequency than the pre-glacial period, suggesting a complex interplay between changing climatic conditions and human land management practices.

  Most strikingly, our record shows an unprecedented surge in Eucalyptus to its highest levels in 50,000 years, coinciding with the British invasion and the subsequent disruption of traditional Gadubanud fire management practices.

  This long-term perspective highlights the resilience and adaptability of the Carlisle Heath ecosystem over millennial timescales, while also underscoring the profound impacts of both climate change and human activity on the landscape.

  Our findings not only enhance our understanding of the region's palaeoecology but also provide crucial context for contemporary conservation and land management strategies on Gadubanud Country.

  By illuminating the intricate relationships between vegetation dynamics, fire regimes, climate change, and human influence over such an extensive timeframe, this research offers valuable insights for predicting and managing future ecological changes in the face of ongoing environmental challenges.

• Resilient Forests: Reimagining Forest Management in a Changing Climate – Dr Claire Feniuk, Conservation Ecology Centre

  Now at the end of its second year, the Resilient Forests project is a collaboration between the Conservation Ecology Centre, Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation and Forest Fire Management Victoria, focused on supporting climate-adapted, biocultural forest management in the foothill forests of the Otways.

  Combining adaptation planning, ecological research and stakeholder engagement, the project is helping to build the evidence and momentum needed to drive systems change toward more nuanced, place-based approaches.

  This presentation will provide an overview of progress to date, share preliminary insights from ecological research, and reflect on the work needed to navigate this complex and contested space.

• Modelling in-forest microclimate, fuel moisture and ignitability: developing tools to assist with planned burning – Dr Jane Cawson, University of Melbourne

  Weather conditions inside a forest differ markedly from conditions in the open. Our research is focused on understanding how fine-scale variations in microclimate within forests influence the patchiness of planned burns.

  We are testing a high-resolution, in-forest microclimate model in different forest types, including heathy woodlands and wet forests in the Otway Ranges. Then, we are examining the strength of the relationship between the in-forest microclimate and the patchiness of planned burns. Our end goal is to produce a model that predicts likely burn outcomes under different weather conditions.

• Fuel Responses to Different Fire Regimes in Heathy Woodlands Bee Pickering, University of Melbourne

  Understanding how vegetation (fuel) recovers after fire is crucial as fuel recovery affects future fire behaviour and informs when and how fire practitioners might use planned burns to reduce fire risk.

  Time since fire is widely used to predict fuel recovery, however other components of the fire regime (the spatiotemporal pattern of fire) may also be important.

  Our research investigates how time since fire, and the severity and frequency of fire, shape fuel structure in heathy woodlands across southwestern Victoria.

  Our aim is to provide a deeper understanding of the role that fire regimes play in influencing fuel recovery and to help guide the optimal timing of planned burns.

• Rainforest in the Otways – David Cameron, Arthur Rylah Institute

  David Cameron, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action

  Rainforests of the Otway Ranges are unique in their canopy dominance, at maturity, by a single species, Nothofagus cunninghamii (Myrtle Beech).

  This renders these rainforests uniquely susceptible to the impact of the endemic fungal pathogen Chalara australis, which causes Myrtle Wilt. T

  he greatest emerging threats, however, are the increasing risk of fire acting synergistically with the increasing risk of extreme and prolonged drought stress in response to climatic warming and drying.

• Making it Easier for Land Managers to Control Phytophthora Dieback in Australia – Mark Garkaklis, Barbara Wilson Pty. Ltd.

  The “National Registration of Phosphite” Project

  Phytophthora dieback caused by the plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi is an introduced threat killing native flora and degrading millions of hectares of native fauna habitat throughout Australia, including the Otway Ranges.  The impact of the pathogen on Australia's EPBC Act listed species is second only to the rabbit.

  The pathogen is now so widely distributed that our only realistic and effective means to control any further degradation of habitats is to apply the widely used agricultural chemical phosphite.

  Phosphite is registered 'on-label' for use in horticultural, broad acre farming and home gardens.  It is not registered for use in the bush, and this project aims to provide the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority the information they need to include it for on-label use to control Phytophthora dieback in native vegetation. 

  Authors:  Mark Gakaklis1,2, Barbara Wilson1,3, Gavin Hall4, Jeff Powell 5, Vanessa Gorecki 6, Callum Casteel6.

  Affiliations:

  1. ‎Barbara Wilson Pty Ltd, Aireys Inlet, 3231. VIC

  2. Murdoch University, 6150. WA

  3. Deakin University, 3216. VIC

  4. DTS Pty Ltd Registration Consultants, 4157. QLD

  5. University of Western Sydney, 2751. NSW

  6. University of Southern Queensland, 4350. QLD

• The First Use of LoRaWAN in Victoria to Facilitate Feral Cat Control Around Small Mammal Refuges in the Otways – Erin Nash & Michael Mackenzie, Parks Victoria

  Parks Victoria has been trialling the use of LoRaWAN, an ‘Internet of Things’ technology, in the Otways to remotely monitor the status of cage traps targeting feral cats.

  This presentation provides an overview of the promising results initial trials around Anglesea and on Cape Otway, and a discussion of potential expansions to this project.

  We also summarise what we’ve learnt about using this technology in different landscapes. 

• People Power is Key to Effective Feral Pig Management – Dr Heather Channon, National Feral Pig Action Plan

  I will discuss the purpose and priorities of the National Feral Pig Action Plan, the importance of coordinated and collective management to effectively control feral pig populations, key elements to bring land managers together and share a couple of examples from different programs to illustrate benefits to land holders arising from their landscape scale, cross tenure management – whilst linking it back to the CEC’s program in the Otways. 

• Partnering Against Pigs – James Templeton, Conservation Ecology Centre

• Social Science Perspectives on Problematic Species – Rebecca Tooheys, University of Melbourne

  This social science project explores the diverse views people hold about problematic species in the Otway Range region.

  These species often spark strong and differing opinions about how they should be controlled, used or managed.

  The research aims to better understand the range of perspectives in the region, and how these are connected to broader ways of thinking about and relating to nature and the landscape.

  The study aims to support clearer and more productive conversations around these differences.

• Drainage Culverts: Coastal Corridors for Wildlife – Cate Oldham and Libby Riviere, Deakin University

  Our study investigates how existing drainage structures along the Great Ocean Road are used by wildlife to move between coastal and inland habitats.

  Using almost a full year of camera trap data, we explore how factors like season, culvert design (size and shape), surrounding habitat, and water levels influence confirmed crossings.

  We have recorded a range of native species using these structures, including bush rats, antechinuses, bandicoots, and echidnas, as well as introduced predators such as foxes and cats.

• Doing Research on Eastern Maar Sea Country: Priorities and Principles – Mandy Watson, Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC)

• Filling the Gaps: Collaborating for Marine Resilience along the Otway Coast – Dr Kay Weltz, Conservation Ecology Centre

  The Otways coast, including the Great Ocean Road and the Great Ocean Walk, is home to an iconic stretch of coastline of high ecological, cultural, and economic importance.

  While these marine ecosystems are rich and diverse, key knowledge gaps remain around their current health, the threats they face, and their resilience to climate change and human pressures.

  This presentation introduces the Otways Marine Ecosystem Resilience (OMER) initiative—a collaboration with the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC) and Otway Ocean Care (OOC)—working to address these gaps at vulnerable sites. We will share preliminary findings from the OMER pilot intertidal and subtidal surveys and outline the next steps as the project expands.

  By bringing together scientific research, citizen science, and Indigenous knowledge, we are helping to guide the care of Sea Country—strengthening the foundations for future resilient marine ecosystems and coastal communities along the Otway coast and beyond.

• Kelp Conservation and Recovery of Australian Giant Kelp Forests – Simon Branigan & Paul Tompkins, The Nature Conservancy

  A Sea Change for Sea Forests

  The rapid and severe decline of Australia’s giant kelp forests has sparked a wave of interdisciplinary conservation initiatives.

  The Nature Conservancy, in collaboration with multiple partners, is leading efforts to restore and protect these vital underwater ecosystems. A key innovation has been the development of artificial intelligence tools to detect and map remnant kelp canopy at a national scale.

  These promising results will soon be made publicly available as open-source layers on SeaMap Australia.

  While much of the conservation focus has been on Tasmania, this mapping work—and the broader lessons emerging from it—has significant implications for the future of giant kelp conservation in Victoria, including in the Otway region.

• Apollo Marine Park Apollo Marine Park: Beneath the Surface – Dr Mary Young, Deakin University

  Ecological assessment of Apollo Marine Park - an overview of all the tools we use to sample the marine environment and what we found.

• Seal research from Deen Maar Island to Cape Bridgewater – Rebecca Mcintosh, Phillip Island Nature Parks

  Several seal species share the coast of Western Victoria including the Australian and long-nosed fur seals, southern elephant seals, Australian sea lions and sub-Antarctic fur seals, but only the Australian and long-nosed fur seals currently breed here.

  I’ll share information on their pup numbers and foraging behaviour and outline adaptation strategies of these wonderful critters in a time of change.