Conferences

22nd Annual Conference and AGM

The 22nd Annual Conference and AGM of the Forum was held on Thursday 19th November 2015 at the Inchyra Grange Hotel Falkirk. The theme of the conference was Routes the Forth and a varied and diverse range of topics were covered by the speakers-everything from Victorian Railways to present day ferry services; bird migration to coastal research; long distance footpaths to ports and harbours.

Details of the speakers  can be found here. Please note that the speaker biographies and presentation summaries do not include details of the “Soapbox” session.

The following presentations are available here for you to down load

David Anderson RSPB- Bird Migration Routes

Hannah Grist –Capturing our Coast

Ian McCrory Fife Council- Fife Harbours Study

Sue Walker Inner Forth Landscape Initiative- The First Year-an update

Ranald Strachan  FCCT –Long Distance Paths in Fife

Ken Patterson FCCT–the Pilgrim Way: an update

Lorna King Marine Scotland –News and Update

Tom Brock and Colin Aston –North Berwick to Anstruther Ferry

Professor Rob Duck Dundee University- The Physical Impact of the Railways on the Forth.

The Conference was preceded by the AGM and the accounts presented to the AGM can be downloaded here. Also available are the minutes of the AGM held on 6th November 2014 which were formally approved and the draft minutes of this years AGM

DEFENDING THE FORTH: the legacy of war for people, places and wildlife

This year’s conference was very successful. It was held in the historic venue of The Rivers Suite, Craiglockhart Campus, Napier University, Edinburgh, We had an interesting mix of speakers to highlight how defending the estuary in wartime has shaped the characteristics of the Forth as it is today.

Speakers included:
Kevin Munro, author of ‘Scotland’s First World War’ ,which tells the story of the First World War through Scotland’s people and places.
Geoff Bailey, author of ‘The Forth Front: Falkirk district’s maritime contribution to World War II’, which recounts experiences of the communities, workers and families, from the docks and shipyards along the Forth.

There were also presentations on:

• The wildlife that makes use of the derelict wartime buildings on the Forth islands.
• The history of Rosyth Dockyard
• The wartime history beneath the surface of the Forth and how it is protected.
• A reflection on how the water quality of the Forth has improved over the decades
• An update on work of the Forum
• A ‘soapbox session’ to allow delegates to give 5 minute presentations on current issues.

The following presentations from the conference are available for you to download:
Calum Duncan, MCS – Citizen Science Underwater
Frances Edwards, Forth Estuary Forum – Building the Future from the Past
Philip Robertson – Wartime History Beneath the Waves
Geoff Bailey – Wartime Communities on the Forth – Falkirk
Lisa Webb – Restoring the water environment of the Forth

The conference was kindly sponsored by:

Energy Generation on the Forth
The 20th Annual conference was held at the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh.

Speakers included:
Professor Christopher Smout (Historian)
Scottish Enterprise (their perspective on Renewable Energy on the Forth)
Mainstream Renewable Power (Neart na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm) Scottish and Southern Energy Renewables (Seagreen Project in the Forth)
Prof S Haszeldine, University of Edinburgh, Dept of Geosciences (on carbon capture & underwater gasifcation).
A soapbox slot was been added to the timetable to give people the opportunity to bring up their related issues.

Speaker presentations:
Annie Breaden, The Crown Estate – Offshore Renewables: The Crown Estate Perspective
Craig Watt, Renewable Energy on the Forth – The Scottish Enterprise Perspective
Nick Brockie, Scottish and Southern Renewables Energy, The Offshore Seagreen Project

The conference was kindly sponsored by

Biodiversity on the Forth
The 19th Annual Conference was held at the Forth Valley College.

Speaker presentations:
Lynn Jopling – Ecological conservation and environmental improvement projects on golf courses
Malcolm Fraser – Natura on the Forth
David Anderson – Inner Forth landscape Initiative
Rory Sandison – SWT reserves around the Forth
Johanna Willi – Fife Local Biodiversity Plan
Judy Dobson – Contaminants in the Forth
Colin Moffat – Prioritising Marine Features

The conference was kindly sponsored by

Planning on the Forth

The 18th Annual Conference was held at Carnegie College Rosyth

Speaker presentations
Anna Donald – National Marine Plan
Jim Brown – Scottish Colleges Energy Skills Partnership
Richard Millar – Forth and Clyde Canals developments
Tim Sojanovic – Planning and Management of the Forth

The conference was kindly sponsored by: