* Over 75 international, national and local speakers presented about their area of desert expertise
* 55 exhibitors showcased their desert knowledge and products in the Business Showcase
* A total of 325 delegates from across desert Australia attended

*2008 Desert Knowledge Symposium - click here

We are very pleased to announce that the 2008 Desert Knowledge Symposium and Business Showcase has been set for 4 to 7 November 2008, at the Alice Springs Convention Centre.

Desert Knowledge Australia and the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre have been joined by a new partner, the Desert Peoples Centre, in hosting the 2008 Symposium and Business Showcase.

Currently under construction at the Desert Knowledge Precinct in Alice Springs, the Desert Peoples Centre is a tertiary and vocational training education facility for Aboriginal students from across desert Australia. Their partnership involvement in hosting the 2008 Desert Knowledge Symposium and Business Showcase is sure to add great value to the program.

We will be joining with a group of sponsoring organisations to build upon the great success of the two previous Desert Knowledge Symposia.

Be sure to mark the 2008 Desert Knowledge Symposium and Business Showcase dates in your diary. Be part of this rare opportunity to hear about how business innovators, researchers and educators from Australia and overseas are working in partnership with communities, industry and governments to develop a body of desert knowledge that will help sustain desert communities around the world.

Download the flyer. An updated website will be available soon.

*2006 Symposium DVD Collection Now Available*

Did you miss the Desert Knowledge Symposium?
If you did attend, were there presentations you would like to show people in your community or workplace?
Are there sessions you missed or you would like to see again?

This is your opportunity. Download the Podcasts!

The Desert Knowledge Symposium was held in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia from 1-3 November 2006.

Desert Knowledge Australia and the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre are at the forefront of the world’s knowledge of the desert. Together, they hosted the 2006 Desert Knowledge Symposium and Business Showcase: Global Desert Opportunities.

In 2006, when the world celebrated the International Year of Deserts and Desertification, and in Australia, The Year of the Outback, the Desert Knowledge Symposium and Business Showcase provided a unique opportunity to come together to share and explore all the expertise and creativity that exists in desert regions.

With the theme of creating business opportunities and sustainable livelihoods for desert people, the 2006 Desert Knowledge Symposium: Global Desert Opportunities explored and showcased the enterprises, innovations, business opportunities, science, technology, research, solutions, culture, and the collective knowledge held by Australia’s desert regions and beyond.

The Global Desert

People have lived and survived in desert regions for tens of thousands of years, where knowledge and ideas have created opportunities and livelihoods, and where this knowledge can be shared with the rest of the world to create a thriving desert economy. This is the global desert.
One third of the world’s land surface is desert and these regions are inhabited by about one billion people or one sixth of the world’s population. In Australia, two-thirds of the country is made up of arid and semi-arid lands. Our nations value these heartlands for their unspoiled, remote and unique environments.

Who was behind the 2006 Desert Knowledge Symposium?

Desert Knowledge Australia is a networking organisation that aims to facilitate thriving desert knowledge economies and a socially and economically sustainable future for desert Australia. Through the building of networks and partnerships across the desert, these thriving economies are being formed in association with other desert regions around the world.

The Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre is a research network linking Indigenous and local knowledge with Western science and research training. It creates opportunities for desert people to live more prosperous and sustainable lives.