Planet Talks at WOMADelaide Festival

The Planet Talk program is now live. As a proud sponsors, the Environment Institute is eagerly looking forward to WOMAD’s The Planet Talk. We believe that The Planet Talks is a great platform to discuss critical environmental issues and create awareness among people and are excited to be a part of this significant event. Don’t forget to check it out!

WOMADelaide returns this year between 8th and 11th March, and the Environment Institute is very excited to be sponsoring The Planet Talks once again.  The iconic open-air festival, which is set in Adelaide’s stunning Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla, features four days of the very best in live music, arts, dance and food from around the world.

The Planet Talks is a three-day ecological and conversational forum held within the event, featuring some of the world’s foremost thinkers, activists, scientists and leaders in engaging and thought-provoking discussions about issues and solutions that affect our lives on the blue planet.  The Environment Institute is not only sponsoring the following ‘Wild Cities’ and ‘The Big Nature Fix’ sessions on Sunday, 10th March but our members are featured throughout the program including Director Professor Andy Lowe, Professor Bronwyn Gillanders, Advisory Board member Professor Chris Daniels and former student Tiahni Adamson.

WILD CITIES

Imagine a world where cities are homes to thriving ecosystems of plants, animals and other life, and not just concrete metropolises. Australian cities have the potential to transform into nature wonderlands, but how can nature be better integrated within our towns and cities? What role do individuals, neighbourhoods and communities have to play? We will explore diverse approaches to greening our streets, towns and cities.

SPEAKERS (pictured): Darryl Jones, Sheryn Pitman, Sarah Bekessy

FACILITATOR: Chris Daniels

Sunday, 10th March at 1.00pm in the Frome Park Pavilion

THE BIG NATURE FIX

How can our nation transform from being a global leader in species extinction to a global leader in nature regeneration? The term Nature Positive has snuck into the conversation and sounds like a good thing, but what does it really mean? Could it be a game-changer or is it just another buzzword, or worse, yet another form of greenwashing.

Australia will host the first Global Nature Positive Summit in October 2024, and governments and businesses are starting to incorporate ideas of Nature Positive into the way they operate. Hear from a range of experts on what this means for our environment, and how we can help build momentum for Nature Positive ideas to help restore and regenerate Australia’s fragile ecosystems and deliver positive outcomes for First Nations people.

SPEAKERS: (pictured) Joe Morrison, Kate Andrews, Ariadne Gorring, Martine Maron

HOST: Andrew Lowe

Sunday, 10th March at 3.00pm in the Frome Park Pavilion

OCEANS OF CHANGE (MONDAY)

Our oceans are in deep trouble, and facing threats and stressors on multiple fronts. From alarming rises in temperature to the tonnes of microplastics, the health and ongoing integrity of our marine environments are under severe threat. In addition noise pollution from seismic exploration and shipping disrupts the ability of marine animals to communicate. A powerhouse panel of marine biologists, who are using new technologies and citizen science to better understand these impacts, will discuss the different ways to advocate for the necessary change.  

SPEAKERS:  Abbie Barrows, Vaness Pirotta, Bronwyn Gillanders (pictured)

HOST: Clare Peddie

Monday, 11th March at 1.00pm in the Frome Park Pavilion

Other sessions include:

• The future of activism (Saturday)
• Islands rising (Saturday)
• Oceans of change (Monday)
• Deep listening to nature (Monday)

For more information on the other Planet Talks sessions and the event in general, plus access to the ticketing link, please visit WOMADelaide The Planet Talks.