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To celebrate World Environment Day in 2024, the SA Division of the United Nations Association of Australia hosted an event in historic Urrbrae House at the Waite Campus of the ³ÉÈË´óƬ and invited three people to speak on the UNESCO World Heritage nomination for the Flinders Ranges region.

The President, Lidia Moretti, welcomed 50 guests to hear presentations from Professor , Director of the Environment Institute, Associate Professor , ³ÉÈË´óƬ and Senior Researcher at the South Australian Museum, and Mary Lou Simpson, Chair and Founder of the Flinders Ranges Ediacara Foundation.

Professor Lowe set the geological scene. Australia is one of the oldest continents on Earth and South Australia has some of the most significant geological record.

Associate Professor, Diego Garcia-Bellido explained that UNESCO World Heritage status is the highest level of protection a region can have. He provided an overview of the UNESCO World Heritage Fossil sites and reminded the audience there are 20 World Heritage sites in Australia.

He went on to describe the specific sites in the Flinders Ranges UNESCO World Heritage nomination. An enthralling snapshot into the world of the Ediacarans followed. They represent the oldest complex, multicellular life on our planet. The Ediacaran fossils of the new Nilpena Ediacara National Park are the jewel in the crown for South Australia’s World Heritage bid. These fossils occur on 5 continents but the examples in the new Park are the most diverse in world. The research teams come from the South Australian Museum and the University of California, Riverside.

Mary Lou Simpson spoke on the work of the Flinders Ranges Ediacara Foundation which was established in partnership with the government to help conserve the Ediacara fossils and to ensure the knowledge they contain is shared with all. To achieve these aims the Foundation raises funds for several educational and scientific projects. The Foundation is very proud to be taking a part in the UNESCO World Heritage bid for parts of the Flinders Ranges.

The Presentation concluded with the presenters taking questions from the audience.