LATEST NEWS
Entura’s William Plumb highly commended for presentation at international geomorphology conference
16 March, 2026
One of Entura’s emerging heritage professionals, William Plumb, recently attended the 11th IAG International Conference on Geomorphology, held in February in Aotearoa New Zealand.
He was highly commended for his presentation, titled ‘Challenging authorised heritage discourse: recognising Indigenous cultural geomorphology in Australian conservation planning’.
Will joined Entura’s Environment and Planning team in early 2025 after completing an honours degree in geography at the University of Tasmania and completing an exchange in Aotearoa New Zealand. His presentation at the conference was jointly authored with University of Tasmania academic Dr Melinda McHenry.
Having grown up in Lutruwita Tasmania, Will says that he has always loved being outdoors in protected areas and reserves, but has become increasingly aware of what has not been, or is not being, adequately recognised and protected.
This growing interest led Will to pursue an honours thesis about how different cultural values are or are not recognised, valued and managed, particularly ‘geocultural’ features such as landforms and waterways. His thesis analysed management plans for a number of Australian reserves.
“Under current western conservation frameworks, management plans set out what you want to conserve, how you want to do it and your priorities,” says Will. “I analysed management plans from a series of Australian reserves to investigate how different cultural value types are or aren’t recognised.”
“There’s generally good recognition and protection of physical objects and artefacts that are recognised in legislation, such as stone tools or artworks. Other things, such as mountains, outcrops or pathways, may also be deeply embedded in culture but are generally less frequently recognised and therefore poorly protected.”
Will is quick to state that he does not have Tasmanian Aboriginal ancestry and is careful to acknowledge the limits of his cultural knowledge.
“While I’m advocating for change to recognise the values in the landscape, I’m not speaking on behalf of Traditional Custodians,” says Will. “My aim is to help explore and communicate a broader and more inclusive view of heritage, where what’s valued and protected is dictated by the people for whom it holds meaning
For Entura’s clients who may be developing or managing power and water assets, Will believes that a greater awareness of the gaps and different perceptions about heritage can help move beyond a compliance mindset and advocate for more genuinely sustainable practices and more meaningful conversations with communities.
“Ultimately, recognising cultural geomorphology does more than protect landforms,” says Will. “It inscribes meaning, connection and life into geodiversity, strengthening conservation outcomes for everyone.”
“Entura is proud to have such engaged, thoughtful and intelligent emerging professionals in our business,” says Entura’s Managing Director, Dr Amanda Ashworth. “Insights like Will’s are so important to achieving more sustainable outcomes for communities and cultures, wherever our projects are located.”
“Will is an enthusiastic early career professional who has brought a range of new skills and ideas to our team,” says Entura’s Environment and Planning Team Leader, Raymond Brereton. “Will’s passion for a sustainable future is very evident and is appreciated by his colleagues.”
+61 417 336 407