K'gari Research Symposium: 'K'gari - Towards 2050'
USC Fraser Coast Campus
The second K’gari Research Symposium will bring together K’gari’s Traditional Custodians, the Butchulla People, researchers, stakeholders and community members to develop a research strategy to guide actions to future-proof the island towards 2050.
Presented by USC, with the support of the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation, the program will focus on knowledge-sharing and learning to promote continued research, partnerships and collaboration.
‘K’gari - Towards 2050’ will build on the outcomes of the inaugural ‘Fraser-K’gari Island Symposium: Sharing Knowledge, Sharing Understanding’ held in 2018 to mark 25 years of the island’s World Heritage status.
Key aims:
- Share knowledge and understanding of the island’s outstanding geological evolution, ecology, biology and Butchulla culture.
- Identify a research strategy for K’gari for the next two decades by generating key research questions, opportunities and collaborations between key stakeholders.
- Promote engagement in the Fraser Coast community, nationally and globally.
The University of the Sunshine Coast gratefully acknowledges The Queensland Department of Environment and Science, Sealink’s Kingfisher Bay Resort and Fraser Island Defenders Organisation as event sponsors.
Symposium contact: kwalker4@usc.edu.au
Keynote speakers

Chrissy Grant
Founding member and Chair of the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on World Heritage (IIPFWH)

Peter Blaze Corcoran
Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies and Environmental Education at Florida Gulf Coast University

Jade Gould
Chair of the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC.
k'gari research Symposium Program
'k'gari towards 2050'
Friday, 26 November 2021, 9.30am-4.30pm
Registration 9:00am-9:30am, Reception area Building B, USC Fraser Coast Campus
Time |
Presentation |
Speaker/Panel |
9:30am - 10.00am |
Welcome Welcome to Country Opening of Symposium Fraser Coast Welcome Opening Remarks |
|
10:00am - 11:00am |
K'gari Towards 2050 |
Chrissy Grant, Chair, International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on World Heritage Professor Peter Corcoran, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies and Environmental Education at Florida Gulf Coast University Jade Gould, Chair, Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation |
11:00am - 11.20am | Morning Tea | |
11:20am - 12.50pm | Panel Session: State of the Environment |
Dr Rhonda Melzer, Manager Ecological Assessment Unit, Department of Environment and Science Professor Jennifer Firn, School of Biological and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology Associate Professor Grahame Applegate, Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast Dr Wade Hadwen, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University Professor Jamie Shulmeister, School of Earth and Environment, University of Canterbury Dr Vikki Schaffer, School of Business and Creative Industries, University of the Sunshine Coast Dr Kathy Townsend, School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast |
12:50pm - 1.45pm | Lunch / Poster Session | |
1:45pm - 2.30pm |
Future proofing K'gari for 2050 |
Participant involvement in the K'gari 2050 future-proofing scenario |
2:30pm - 3.30pm |
Roundtable sessions led by the panellists Afternoon Tea available during this session |
Culture: Jade Gould K’gari value monitoring: Rhonda Melzer Vegetation and forests: Jennifer Firn and Grahame Applegate Fresh water: Wade Hadwen Tourism: Vikki Schaffer Marine: Kathy Townsend |
3.30pm - 4.30pm | Where to from here - a research strategy for K'gari | |
4:30pm | Close |
Note: Program subject to change