With less than six months to go, preparations are ramping up for the 22nd Biennial ARS Conference taking place from 18-22 September, 2023 in Broome, Western Australia.
Conference themes
The theme for this year’s Conference is Action Stations. Major conference topics will include:
- Coming to grips with carbon, green energy and natural capital
- Science, satellites and success
- Resilience in a land of drought and flooding rains
- Traditional Owner aspirations and knowledge
- Where/what is the cutting edge technology
- Passing the baton to the next generation
The Conference Organising Committee (Don Burnside, Matthew Fletcher, Jennifer Duffecy, Kath Ryan, Josh Foster, Chris Hetherington, Jardine Macdonald and Grey McKay) is working hard on the Conference Program and further details about guest speakers and conference sessions will be announced in the near future on the conference website https://aapevents.eventsair.com/ars2023/.
Focus on Early Careers
A new offering at this year’s Conference will be an Early Careers Program to support the professional development and involvement of students and early career professionals in the sustainable management of rangelands in Australia. The conference is a good opportunity to gain practical experience and knowledge from experts and to develop valuable professional relationships. Discount pricing will be offered for practitioners early in their career (up to 5 years in the rangeland industry) – see here for how to apply.
Field Trips
You will be pleased to know that the ever-popular field trips will be part of the Conference again this year. These will provide attendees with the opportunity to explore the diverse rangelands of the Kimberley region and engage in hands-on activities related to rangeland management. Three possible field trips are currently under discussion (note these have not been finalized):
- Trip up the Dampier Peninsula to meet with the Dampier Peninsula Fire Working Group and see other local attractions.
- Visit to Roebuck Plains Station to look at the Northern Drought Hub Demonstration, Roebuck Export Depot and irrigated pasture trials managed by Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
- Look around Broome: Indigenous cultural tour of Broome (Yawru), Willie Creek Pearl farm and Moontide Gin distillery.
Call for Abstracts (Closing Very Soon)
If you would like to present your work or submit an opinion piece for discussion at the Conference you will need to be quick as the closing date for abstracts is 1st April.
You can select your preferred presentation type:
- Oral presentation: 12 minutes plus 3 minutes for questions
- Lightning oral presentation: 3 min plus 2 minutes for questions
- Poster Presentation (posters will be displayed throughout conference with dedicated end-of-day viewing sessions).
Further information including the guidelines for abstracts is available here
Registration
Registration for the conference is now open – you can save $100 with the Early-bird discount if you sign up before 1 June. You can also register accompanying people and purchase extra conference dinner tickets during the registration process.
The Organising Committee has also been working with accommodation providers to bring you conference rates for your stay in Broome. These can also be booked during the registration.
Sponsorship Opportunities
The Organising Committee are currently seeking sponsors for the Conference and are particularly keen to have a Conference Partner ($35k) and a Gold Sponsor (20k) come on board. If you are a stakeholder within the rangeland industry please consider becoming a sponsor!
Why sponsor this event?
- Biennial Conference Sponsors are visible to a unique national audience of rangeland technical, operational and policy making communities.
- Your sponsorship support helps to attract the widest possible range of regional participants to the Conference, and of Early Career Researchers and practitioners with a passion for our Outback.
- Sponsoring presents an opportunity to highlight your commitment and support to the unique rangeland environment. Sponsorship offers your organisation:
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- Marketing opportunities and national exposure during the whole life cycle of the conference
- Access to influential and engaged delegates
- Connections with leading industry professionals; and
- The chance to unlock and share scientific, traditional, local and experiential knowledge
The Conference Prospectus and Booking forms are available here.
Remember – the latest information about the Broome Biennial Conference is always available on the conference website – https://aapevents.eventsair.com/ars2023/