The Australian Rangeland Society is preparing a bid to host the XIIth International Rangeland Congress (IRC) in Australia in 2025. This will be the third congress held in Australia since the initial IRC in 1978, and Australia will have hosted more congresses than any other nation. This is only fitting, given that about 80 per cent of Australia’s land mass is rangeland. Furthermore, our expertise and experience in rangeland science and practice is well regarded and this event provides an opportunity to showcase and promote our capabilities.

A dedicated committee of ten members work diligently to prepare a competitive bid. Four cities, namely Darwin, Adelaide, Townsville and Cairns are vying to host this prestigious event which is anticipated to attract between 600 and 1000 delegates from approximately 50 countries.

An exciting part of an international event of this nature is the associated congress tours. To increase overall participation, themed mini conferences will be arranged to coincide with the pre-conference tours in different parts of the country. Resolutions from these meetings will be presented at the main congress.

All international bids need to be submitted to the Ongoing Committee of the IRC in October 2019 and the successful proposal will be presented at the IRC in Nairobi, Kenya in October 2020.

Australia has a proven track record after hosting a very successful IRC in Townsville in 1999 and prior to that Adelaide in 1984. Should the bid for 2025 be successful, we will be able to highlight Australia’s pre-eminent role in the development and adoption of improved rangeland management practice here and internationally.