Wildlife Tourism in Australia and Indonesia and its relationship to Geotourism

Led by Dr Ronda Green, President of Wildlife Tourism Australia, with specialised knowledge of wildlife in the Asia Pacific region. Ronda is chair of the Biodiversity Working Group within IUCN’s Tourism and Protected Areas Group. Indonesia and Australia are both amongst the world’s highest-ranking countries in terms of biodiversity and endemism. The two countries mostly harbour quite different fauna and flora, but also share quite a few taxonomic groups such as fruit bats, marsupials, monotremes, cassowaries, megapodes, bowerbirds, birds of paradise, cuckoos, crocodiles, and monitor lizards.

The session will discuss these shared groups and some of the endemic creatures of both countries. Some of the species will also be considered in relation to their dependence on kinds of soils or landscapes, and in some cases their own influence on soils. Finally, the session discusses some ideas on incorporating wildlife interpretation into geotourism displays and activities.

Other speakers include Jatna Supriatna, Professor of Conservation Biology, University of Indonesia, will be talking on “The primates of Indonesia”.

Julien Louys, Professor of Palaeontology, Griffith University will present on the topic of “Australasian Exchanges and Extinctions: why is Australia, New Guinea and Wallacea so alike and yet so different?”

Dr Simin Maleknia of Tetratherix Medical will be discussing forensic investigations into illegal wildlife trafficking in Australia and Indonesia.

Roundtable discussions will be addressing various other topics which include:

• Arousing tourist awareness of and interest in lesser-known creatures in volcanic landscape?
• Diverse ways of presenting local wildlife to tourists: animals commonly seen; animals present but rare or cryptic; and animals of past eras.
• Ways of interpreting wildlife in geotourism: examples and ideas.
• The potential and techniques for including wildlife in geotourism.

More details are available here:  https://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/wildlife-tourism-workshop-sydney-20-july/

Coffee and tea and lunch provided
4.00 pm concludes