On Friday, March 14, the Beyond Bunya Dieback Symposium and Art Exhibition will bring the community together in Maleny to address the growing threat of pathogens on Queensland’s iconic ecosystems.

The symposium will be a full-day event featuring a diverse line-up of speakers, including local, interstate, and international experts. It will bring together Indigenous Rangers, First Nations community members, landholders, conservationists, researchers, university students, and government and community representatives to tackle the impact of Phytophthora cinnamomi, a pathogen devastating Bunya trees and surrounding vegetation in the Glasshouse Mountains.

Rainforest ecologist and co-coordinator Spencer Shaw emphasised the urgency of action. “We can’t afford to ignore the devastating impacts of pathogens like Phytophthora on Bunya trees and other native species. 

The solutions are complex and require collaboration across all sectors. But we believe this is an opportunity to come together and make a difference.”

The Beyond Bunya Art Exhibition, running from March 6 to 19 at the Little Red Cottage (above Forest Heart ecoNursery), will provide another avenue for engagement. 

More than 20 artists from across Australia and beyond, including First Nations artists, will share creative responses to the themes of Bunya dieback, pathogen impacts, and the fragility of the region’s ecosystems.

Both events highlight the need for collective action and reinforce the message that “we all have a part to play” in protecting and restoring these delicate landscapes.

• Bookings  and tickets via humanitix.com.