- This event has passed.
Presenter: Bernie Masters, FIA Technology Pty Ltd
Abstract
Vegetated floating islands can enhance the ability of natural and constructed wetlands to reduce nutrients and other pollutants, while creating wildlife habitat and improving wetland aesthetics.
Since the 1970s, wetlands have been widely used around the world to improve water quality but the understanding that most nutrient reduction is carried out by bacterial/algal biofilms rather than by plants is less than 20 years old.
In Australia, four companies manufacture and install floating islands that maximise biofilm development. They promote their islands as an additional way of reducing pollutants including nutrients and suspended solids within existing wetlands and waterbodies to supplement the role of plants and biofilms.
The presentation will summarise current research on the effectiveness of floating islands and give examples of both successful and failed floating island installations around Australia.
Brief Biography
Bernie Masters holds a science degree in geology and zoology from the University of WA. He has worked as a geologist, wildlife conservation officer, member of Parliament and environmental consultant. He has chaired the state government’s community advisory committee on the Ludlow Tuart Forest National Park Management Plan and is a member of the South West Catchments Council, president of the Busselton Naturalists Club and chair of the Busselton Dieback Working Group.
In 2007, Bernie co-founded FIA Technology Pty Ltd, a company that makes and installs vegetated floating islands for water quality improvement, wildlife habitat creation and aesthetic improvement of constructed and natural wetlands. Bernie helped pioneer the use of constructed wetlands for water quality improvement in Australia in the 1980s.