National Wetland Restoration Symposium

Watching native plants flourish and birds thrive is one of the rewards of restoring wetlands. While forests can take decades or centuries to develop, wetlands can be created or restored over a number of months or years. Often all that’s needed is to block up old drains, followed by planting with hardy natives and keeping stock and pests at bay.

The National Wetland Trust has been organising symposia since 2004 to share information on wetland restoration. The fourth National Wetlands Symposium is set to be held from 3-5 March 2010, where wetland enthusiasts, community groups, landowners and wetland scientists will come together for the three days in Rotorua

With a theme of Wetland Management and Restoration: Freshwater and Estuarine, the symposium will include field visits, presentations, a soapbox forum, technical sessions, trade exhibits, and practical training sessions on management techniques including pest control and hydrology. The symposium will teach attendees the finer points of managing water levels, attracting birds, propagating wetland plants, helping fish migrate, obtaining funding, and monitoring the results.