Kanamaluka / Tamar Forum — Tamar Estuary and Esk Rivers Program

23 October 2025

Kanamaluka / Tamar Forum 2025

The biennial Kanamaluka / Tamar Forum brings together experts, decision-makers, and community members to share knowledge, research, and ideas about the health and future of our estuary. It’s a space for open discussion on science, management, and conservation, connecting people across sectors to work towards a shared vision for the Kanamaluka / Tamar estuary.

Full Program - Coming Soon

Session one

Our connection to waterways

This session highlights how stakeholders in the Kanamaluka / Tamar estuary and Esk rivers system are working together to manage and invest in activities that protect, restore, and enhance our waterways. Ursula Taylor (CEO – Derwent Estuary Program) will deliver a keynote address on regional partnership, sharing the Program’s perspective on collaborating to protect and sustain waterways as an integral part of Tasmania’s natural, cultural and economic heritage.

Speakers

Aunty Nannette Shaw will deliver the Welcome to Country speech. She is a Trawoolway Women from Cape Portland, north east Tasmania, Tyereelore from the Bass Strait Islands and Bunurong from Welcome River Victoria.

Chief Executive Officer - Derwent Estuary Program
Ursula Taylor is CEO of the Derwent Estuary Program, a program that shares science to guide the management of the Derwent Estuary in Hobart, Tasmania. Ursula has worked in natural resource management for over 20 years since completing her studies at the University of New England, NSW. Throughout her career she has had various roles, many with an emphasis on communication, project management and stakeholder relations. Her career has been punctuated with some unusual highlights including counting feral goats in rural NSW and surveying the plants of the Galapagos Islands. Ursula is passionate about looking after the natural world and loves sharing the science of the Derwent Estuary Program with governments, industry, scientists and the community to help improve this valued waterway.

Program Manager - TEER Program
As NRM North’s Water Program Manager, Michael is responsible for the delivery of NRM North’s water program, including the Tamar Estuary and Esk Rivers (TEER) Program. With a PhD from the University of Tasmania and over a decade of practical experience in program management and stakeholder engagement, Michael works with stakeholders in government, councils, industry, and the community to address complex environmental challenges. Michael is committed to using data to advance understanding of our wetlands, waterways and rivers, and coastal and marine areas, and to help stakeholders and partners make timely and informed decision and mitigation strategies on improving water quality. Outside of work, Michael loves to explore the Tasmanian wilderness and natural wonders.

Session two

Investments for the future

This session highlights strategic planning and practical on-ground works, showcasing master planning for the estuary, catchment-scale restoration, and ecological trials. Speakers will illustrate how these actions are enhancing the long-term health and resilience of the Kanamaluka / Tamar estuary.

Speakers

Chair - Tamar Estuary Management Taskforce
Pam Allan is the independent chair of the Tamar Estuary Management Taskforce and is Independent Chair of the Advisory Board for Tas Farm Innovation Hub, University of Tasmania. She is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania. She is the past Independent Chair of the Southern Regional Planning Panel (responsible for statutory planning determination across southern NSW) and a former NSW Environment Minister. In addition, Pam is Chair of the Waste and Resource Recovery Board Tasmania, Chair of NRM North, a Commissioner for the Tasmanian Planning Commission and, is Chair of the Forest Practices Authority. Pam has extensive governance experience in the public and commercial (Australian Securities Exchange) sectors and has worked directly with community groups, with industry and with local government.

Environmental Engineer - TasWater
Andrew is an Environmental Engineer with over twenty years’ experience. Being born and bred in Launceston, he has great passion for the city. During his professional career, Andrew has worked within water authorities and consulting engineering, in all phases of projects including operations, planning, investigation, design, construction and asset management. At this year’s Kanamaluka / Tamar Forum, Andrew will be presenting an update on TasWater activities undertaken as part of the Tamar Estuary River Health Action Plan.

Operations Manager - NRM North
Jesse brings a decade of expertise in Natural Resource Management within Tasmania, with a specialised focus on the water sector and integrated catchment management. As a committed manager, Jesse engages with a diverse array of stakeholders across Tasmania’s northern region to address threats to water quality, ecological health of waterways, and to safeguard biodiversity and habitats within threatened vegetation communities. Jesse excels in fostering and maintaining strong relationships and continues to lead the NRM North team. He is a proficient leader with exceptional communication skills, adept at uniting individuals to achieve shared objectives, facilitating and negotiating contracts, and securing funding applications to ensure the long-term prosperity of the northern Tasmanian region.

Director of Water - Department of Natural Resources and Environment
Amanda is currently the Director of Water at the Tasmanian Government’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, where she leads strategic initiatives in water science, policy and management. With over 20 years of professional experience in natural resource management and local government across Tasmania, Amanda has worked across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. She has a strong scientific and technical background in environmental management, complemented by regulatory expertise gained through her role as Director of Planning and Development at West Tamar Council and her service on the EPA Board Tasmania from 2018 to 2023. Amanda has a particular interest in waterway management, partnership development, strategic planning, and community engagement.

Environmental & Sustainability Manager - TasPorts
Susan grew up in the 80’s on a small farm in North West Tasmania in an era when recycling, second hand and anything homemade was more embarrassing than cool.  A general curiosity and respect for animals and nature lead her into environmental science studies and an environmental management career spanning 30 years in wide range of industries across multiple states.  Susan is the Environmental & Sustainability Manager at TasPorts which involves diverse range of topics like marine ecosystems health, invasive marine pests, water quality, contaminated site management development impact assessments, wildlife management and climate risk management.

Session three

Panel discussion

This session features a panel of thought leaders from council, industry, and the community, each actively working to protect and enhance the health of the Kanamaluka / Tamar estuary and Esk rivers catchment amid change and growth. The discussion will explore how cross-sector collaboration is helping to navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and build resilient communities and healthy waterways, ensuring the Kanamaluka / Tamar remains a place where industry, community, and the environment can thrive.

Speakers

Chief Executive Officer - West Tamar Council
Kristen has an incredible breadth of experience across a wide range of sectors, including local government, health insurance, banking as well as federal government agencies.
She completed a Bachelor of Social Science Majoring in Psychology at the Western Sydney University followed by a Bachelor of Law with Honours from the Charles Darwin University. Kristen took her first career step as Area Manager for MBF Health Insurance, managing and training staff across multiple regions in NSW. From there, she moved into the banking sector as an Area Manager for Westpac across the metropolitan Sydney area.
In 2001, Kristen took time out to start and raise a family, returning to work across several key roles with the Fair Work Ombudsman in 2011 based in Tasmania - as a Fair Work Inspector, Assistant Director of Regional Services and Assistant Director of Enforcement.
In October of 2021, Kristen accepted the role of Manager of People, Performance and Governance with the George Town Council. Less than a year later, the was promoted to Director of Operational Performance, Strategy and Engagement.
Having spent two years with George Town, Kristen took on the challenge of stepping up to the Chief Executive Officer role with West Tamar Council and now leads an organization with more than 120 employees, and an annual budget of almost $35 million.
Despite her incredibly busy professional schedule, Kristen has always shared a passion for advocacy, having filled several voluntary and board member roles across a wide range of not-for-profit organizations and key government advisory roles in the disability sector.
Some of Kristen’s current regional roles include:
• Chair of TEER
• Member of TEMT
• Member of the Infrastructure and Amenity Steering Committee
• Chair of the Infrastructure Master plan working Group
• President of Local Government Professionals
• Chair of the NRLUS Steering Committee

Chief Executive Officer - Landcare Tasmania
Peter Stronach is CEO of Landcare Tasmania, the State peak body for community-led Landcare. With over three decades of experience in catchment management, Peter has become a trusted connector across government, industry, and grassroots networks. Under his leadership, Landcare Tasmania supports hundreds of member groups and thousands of volunteers, championing practical, place-based solutions to complex environmental challenges. As a passionate advocate for resilient landscapes and communities, Peter believes Tasmania can be a global leader in community-driven climate and biodiversity solutions—and is working to make that vision a reality.

General Manager - Tasmanian Irrigation
Sophie Grace leads Environment & Sustainability at Tasmanian Irrigation, connecting policy, ecology and project delivery across Tasmania. With over 25 years in safety, environment and compliance, she focuses on practical, on-ground outcomes, translating regulation and science into methods that work for design, construction and operations. Sophie's current priorities are reducing risk, improving environmental performance, and embedding designs and practices that remain credible and workable in the long term; decisions that still make sense in 10, 20 and 100 years.

Session four

Science for management

The program concludes with science-led insights to guide the management of estuarine and catchment systems. Presentations will explore ecological changes, species trends, water use, and sustainable infrastructure, all contributing to evidence-based decision-making.

Speakers

Manager Strategic Programs at Infrastructure Tasmania - Department of State Growth
Dr Johanna Wadsley is Manager Strategic Programs at Infrastructure Tasmania, Department of State Growth, leading the secretariat team for the Tamar Estuary Management Taskforce and coordinating delivery of key projects in the taskforce’s Phase One: Implementation Plan 2023-2027. Prior to joining State Growth in 2021, Johanna was an educator, researcher and project manager in the UK academic sector, specialising in global water governance and financing, and environmental geography. Much of her research involved engaging with coastal communities around the world to understand how people navigate the rapidly increasing pace of change in coastal environments by adapting in place. Johanna is a graduate of UTAS and her first career was in the percussion section of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

Senior Lecturer - University of Tasmania
Dr Vishnu Prahalad is a Senior Lecturer in Geography, Planning & Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania. He has worked on saltmarsh ecology, management and restoration in Tasmania for over 15 years, closely collaborating with a range of stakeholders, including NRM North and the TEER Program. Apart from over 50 journal articles and reports, his publications include a popular field guide to the plants of saltmarsh wetlands, atlases for saltmarshes for all three regions of Tasmania, the ‘saltmarsh matters’ citizen science app, and several other science communication materials. Recently, he co-led the work documenting the historic loss of wetlands in Kanamaluka/Tamar River estuary whilst mapping current wetland extent and areas with restoration potential.

Committee member - Birdlife Australia
Geoff was brought up in Kent, in southeast England, where his love of birds began through his father's involvement in birdwatching. As a teenager, he developed a keen interest in rare birds, including the Eurasian Bittern, and obtained his Bird Ringer’s Permit (the UK equivalent of a Bird Bander’s Permit in Australia) as soon as he was eligible. After qualifying as a doctor, Geoff emigrated to Perth, Western Australia, where he lived for 20 years. He then moved to Tasmania, spending over 35 years in the Latrobe area before relocating to Longford four years ago. Birding has been a lifelong passion for Geoff. He has been actively involved in birding organisations since middle school, continuing through high school and university. He served on the committee of the RAOU (WA) - now BirdLife Australia - including a brief term as chair and has served on the BirdLife Tasmania committee on and off for much of the past decade. For the past nine years, Geoff has been running a passerine bird banding study in northern Tasmania, continuing his long-standing commitment to bird conservation and research.

Spaces are limited

Morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea will be provided. This is a free event but bookings are essential.

Register now

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Past events

The Kanamaluka / Tamar Forum 2023 was held at the Boathouse Centre on the bank of the North Esk River. The TEER Program hosted a sold-out fourth instalment of the biennial Kanamaluka / Tamar Forum in October 2023.