featured events

These popular conferences bring together managers, carers and users of rangeland resources for discussion of 'hot topics' and current rangeland issues. They feature the latest research and development and the synthesis and application of knowledge. The theme for the upcoming Conference is "rain on the rangelands". Water issues have become increasingly important for the Nation and the drylands in particular. Bourke, on the bank of the Darling River, is an ideal and iconic location, to discuss rain and water. Climate variability is very high here and strongly influences the conduct of rangeland businesses. The allocation of river water to cropping businesses, towns and wetlands in these drylands is strongly debated and policies are changing. Bourke, a major town in the dryland portion of the Murray-Darling Basin, is being affected (socially and economically) by the changes to water allocation. The first day of the Conference will be spent looking at and hearing about a cross section of these issues. In addition to keynote addresses on rain and water issues, the Conference will also feature cutting edge research and developments in a range of topics including Indigenous communities, precision pastoralism, resource restoration, sustainability indicators, wetland conservation, pest management and marginal cropping. The Conference will as usual provide the venue for discussion of any rangeland topic. A call for posters and talks will be issued soon.