Desert Knowledge International Symposium

Delegates will be able to take away practical insights from our research outcomes in the pastoral, mining, bush products, art, education, tourism and other industries, says Jan Ferguson, DKCRC Managing Director.

The Federal Governments NT Intervention will feature in discussions around governance (how governments administer and interact with people in the desert), currently being researched by the DKCRC.

Climate change and the environment, and what desert regions can offer to help solve the problem, will also be a feature topic.
Presenters from the global desert knowledge movement will explore a huge array of questions during the three-day event, including:

Why could desert people and resources solve some of the worlds greatest challenges, such as climate change, the global food and energy crisis and freshwater scarcity? (John Scanlon, United Nations Environment Program, Kenya).
Why is it that young people living in the desert (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) often dont perform as well as those living elsewhere? (Gregor Ramsay, Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership)
How can desert businesses maximise their business opportunities through networks at a national and global level? (Ifor Ffowcs Williams, Cluster Navigators New Zealand.)
What does the future hold for our mining industry in desert Australia and what challenges do we face to keep up with its demands? (Melanie Stutsel, Minerals Council of Australia)
Can Australias deserts alone really power the entire nation into the future to meet its target of 20% of all energy drawn from renewable sources? (Barry Pittock, physicist)
What are the characteristics of a thriving and effective rural community and how do we inspire people to become leaders in these communities? (Margaret Wheatley, Berkana Institute, USA)
How can we ensure that Aboriginal people fully benefit from market-based commercial ventures in the Australian bush foods industry? (Jenny Cleary, Desert Knowledge CRC)
What lessons can community-based tourism enterprises in South Africa learn and share with other desert regions around the world? (Peter Myles, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa)
What does Australia need to do to increase Aboriginal involvement in the Northern pastoral industry, back to the levels of over 100 years ago? (Paul Josif, Mark Ashley [DKCRC], Dr Bevyline Sithole [Indonesia] and Andrew Bubb [NT Department of Primary Industry])
What can Australian deserts learn from the Northern Cape Province in South Africa to manage real economic development in arid areas? (Dr Jaco Mostert, North Cape Government, South Africa)
How can we increase the competitiveness of our country through economic development in desert regions? (Dr Amit Kapoor, Management Development Institute, India)

To view brief abstracts of each presentation topic go to

http://www.desertknowledge2008.com/abstracts.asp

The 2008 event will build on the success of the two previous Desert Knowledge Symposia.