The LISW CPD Day will consider the importance of wetlands, soils and water management for addressing the climate and biodiversity emergencies. In collaboration with Slimbridge WWT , our speakers and sponsors we will explore this important topic in an inspirational setting, with Landscape Architects ideally placed to consider water and soil management in their projects from the outset, in collaboration with other built environment disciplines including architects, engineers, ecologists.

The event takes place on 24 June 2022, registration from 9.15am, prompt start at 9.45am, finish at 4.15pm. Spaces are limited to 80 tickets due to venue capacity, so book now to avoid disappointment! Tickets include free entry to Slimbridge Wetland Centre, with some time to explore on your own after the event until the site closes.

Options of travel to the Centre can be found at https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/slimbridge/plan-your-visit/directions/, please consider car sharing and sustainable travel options.

Did you know that wetlands and soils are holding significant amounts of carbon far exceeding the amount stored in vegetation, and that by creating wetlands and managing soils sustainably carbon can be sequestered and retained in-situ? Soils and water are also critical to supporting the biodiversity and food chains we rely on, and only through healthy soils and clean water we can sustain our habitats and food supplies in the long-term. And the amount of uncontaminated soils taken to landfill in the UK as a result of construction far exceeds that lost to erosion.

Topics we will cover on the day include:

• Key Note Speaker Rob Shore, Head of UK Programmes and Conservation Action, will discuss how WWT's work addresses climate change and biodiversity emergencies through direct action and practical interventions.
• Simon Rose, Head of Experience Development at Slimbridge WWT, will provide an overview of their recent developments and plans.
• Kevin Barton (Robert Bray Associates) will talk about Sustainable Drainage as a disruptive technology with powerful climate resilience benefits that should fundamentally change how we think about designed landscapes. Development is consistently failing to adequately adopt this important concept and the opportunity is wide open for landscape architects to take control and lead on integrated, holistic designs that deliver multiple health, wellbeing, community, biodiversity, placemaking and environmental co-benefits. Kevin will explore a range of projects that treat rain as an opportunity and provide valuable insights as to how his practice takes the lead on designing with rainwater.
• Birgit Höntzsch (Chair LISW and Member of the Soils Task Force) will discuss the role of Soils in addressing the Climate Change and Biodiversity Emergencies, and introduce new guidance for Sustainable Soils Management in Construction and Development, as developed by the Soils Task Force through Lancaster University.
• Gary Grant (Green Infrastructure Consultancy Ltd) will focus on Urban Water Management, looking at some examples of how urban green infrastructure, including green roofs, green walls and rain gardens, can boost biodiversity and provide multiple benefits including better surface water management, summer cooling and clean air.
• Sponsors Marshalls will deliver a workshop on creating climate resilient spaces, including discussing options for mitigation & adaptation, understanding footprint boundaries, environmental reporting, catastrophic flooding solutions and managing the urban heat island effect. Chris Griffiths, Head of Product Sustainability at Marshalls, will lead this workshop.
• Sponsors LHC will discuss some of their projects relating to blue infrastructure and water management, and share their design expertise with delegates.
• Sponsors Salix RW will provide insights into practical implementation of and products for wetland creation, habitat and river restoration.
• There will also be guided site tours in the afternoon, where delegates can learn about the reedbed filtration system in use at Slimbridge and see the new Waterscape Aviary and Mission Impossible Project, as well as getting an overview of the site from the observation tower.

We look forward to welcoming you at our CPD Day.

Some more details about our speakers:

Rob Shore is Head of UK Programmes and Conservation Action at WWT. He is responsible for developing and overseeing the practical delivery of WWT's conservation priorities in the UK and around the world, ranging from conservation breeding work to saving species like the spoon-billed sandpiper from extinction and reintroduce cranes to the British countryside, to efforts to improve the lives and livelihoods of people living around important wetlands in Madagascar and Cambodia. Although originally a marine biologist, Rob has spent the last 15 years working predominantly on freshwater wetland conservation issues, particularly river basin management, freshwater conservation planning, fisheries management, and wetland protected areas. Prior to joining WWT, his work has taken him to many places around the globe including Brazil, China, Laos, Mexico, the USA and Vietnam.

Kevin Barton is a climate-resilience specialist landscape architect and a leader in the field of Sustainable Drainage. His studio is driven by a strong people/planet ethos that is reflected in their award-winning and pioneering community, biodiversity and environment-focussed projects.

Birgit Hontzsch is an experienced Chartered Landscape Architect with a strong background in sustainability, Green Infrastructure and biodiverse design. She studied in Berlin before moving to the UK in 1999. After many years in the private sector, she now works for Cornwall Council supporting the delivery of the two Garden Villages in Cornwall. In her roles as Chair of LISW, secretary of the Constructing Excellence Cornwall Hub and member of the Soils Task Force, Birgit works to raise the profile of landscape architecture and the key role this profession can play in addressing the climate and biodiversity emergencies.

Gary Grant is a consultant ecologist, Chartered Environmentalist, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, Director of the Green Infrastructure Consultancy, thesis tutor at the Bartlett Faculty of Built Environment at University College London and Fellow of the Leeds Sustainability Institute. He is author of Green Roofs and Facades (BRE Press 2006), Ecosystem Services Come to Town – Greening cities by working with nature (Wiley 2012) and The Water Sensitive City (Wiley 2016). Projects include the Swansea City Centre Green Infrastructure Strategy, Grosvenor Square renewal, London Olympic Park Masterplan and Biodiversity Action Plan, Whitehill-Bordon Eco Town, the Natural History Museum Wildlife Garden, Education City, Qatar and Saadiyat Island Masterplan, Abu Dhabi. He has been involved in the planning, design, installation and maintenance of hundreds of urban greening projects, including green roofs, green walls and other interventions.