Past Events and Workshops

Past Events relevant to Wildlife Tourism

Events run by Wildlife Tourism Australia (WTA) or in which WTA was represented:

2022-2023 FORUM: WTA: Storytelling Marketing Tourism:

“From Storytelling Tours to Virtual Reality Tours for a Unique Tourism Experience”

Wildlife Tourism Australia organized two Australia-Indonesia Tourism Forums, the first in Brisbane, 30th Oct, 2022, and the second in Adelaide, 6th June, 2023. In collaboration with the University of South Australia, these events were funded by the Australia-Indonesia Institute Grant.

Click here for further details of the events

2022 CONFERENCE: WTA: “Wildlife Tourism Assisting Wildlife: Making it Really Happen!”

30th October – 2nd  November 

 Conference home page

 

2022 FORUMS: WTA: Associated with the 2022 Conference:

• Indonesia/Australia wildlife travels
• Human-wildlife interactions

• 2022 WEBINAR: WTA: “Wildlife Tourism on Private and Public Lands” 

  29th June, 11.00am – 1.00pm Wednesday (Eastern Australian time) 

  Click here for details of the webinar

• https://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/innovation-during-covid-new-markets-and-products/ Innovation during Covid.  Webinar
• Wildlife with a popularity problem, followed by AGM, September 2021
• Marine turtle workshop, June 2021 
• Webinars in June “Overcoming hurdles” (replacing intended conference) https://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/overcoming-hurdles/
• Overpopulation and over-tourism impacts on wildlife
• WTA AGM, book launch and presentations, October 2020

• Wildlife Tourism Australia WEBINARS: June 2020

  Three very active wildlife tourism webinars were run involving wildlife interpretation, tourism, and conservation, wildlife tourism in Asia and the Pacific, human-wildlife interactions, marketing wildlife tourism, coronavirus effects, and others.   Wildlife Tourism Webinars 2020 

• Wildlife Tourism Australia WORKSHOP: SE Qld, December 2019. “The Scenic Rim as an Ecologically-Sustainable International Wildlife Tourism Destination”

• Global Eco CONFERENCE: Cairns, December 2019. Wildlife Tourism Australia was represented by Maree Kerr and Sera Steves represented Wildlife Tourism Australia with a talk “Sustainable Wildlife Tourism: Evolving to meet current and future challenges and opportunities“.  View their presentation here

• Wildlife Tourism Australia DISPLAY at the Big Bat and Wildlife Festival: Maclean, NSW, Match 2019. From Elizabeth Parker: 
  “We love the rain but why did it have to fall on the Saturday of the Big Bat and Wildlife Festival?!
  During a dry patch I was coming down from the displays and presentations in the Jim Thompson pavilion to the activities on the oval and I stopped to have a look around. And I thought, ‘Have a look at all those happy kids down there, and all their happy parents – and not having to get their wallets out’. Smiles under the umbrellas.
  Anthony of Australian Wildlife Displays was a hit with the kids with the live animals. I heard one boy announce Anthony was his new hero.
  We were down on quite a few stalls and activities due the wet weather but things were going on very well and we had a good attendance ducking in between light showers, until about three o’clock.
  It just started to pour and was set in. In the movies the band keeps playing, but not when safety comes first. A shame all outdoor activities had to pack up and we had to call that part of the event closed.
  The best part of the day was so many people asking about the NEXT Big Bat and Wildlife Festival……. so thank you for all those people who came to enjoy the day in the rain, and thank you all of the festival participants for all your much appreciated efforts. Looks like we’re going to do it all again next year.”
• BAT FESTIVAL Cairns, 4th May 2019: Cairns Esplanade. Guest speakers. Information and community stalls. Live music from Kuranda’s funkiest band – Wednesdays. Craft for kids – e.g. Make a Bat Mask. Enter the Masked parade. Information about our  Endangered bats and other wildlife of the wet tropics, and what you can do to help them. Focus species: the endangered Spectacled Flying-fox. Wildlife Tourism Australia’s vice-chair Maree Treadwell was one of the organisers

• Wildlife Tourism Australia STALL at World Science Festival: Brisbane, Qld 23-24th March 2019. Wildlife Tourism Australia was represented within the Australian Citizen Science Association display during the World Science Festival at Southbank, Queensland, 23-24 March 2019. Featured were our wildlife research network, a nature/puzzle trail for families and individuals, and a display of “Guess what this is?” We had some great prizes from our members, from Far North Queensland to Tasmania, Click here for details!  (overnight accommodation in Tasmania, activities in Qld and NSW, entries to parks, tours, caps (oceans, orang-utans), t-shirts, drinking flasks with orangutan motif …), calendars  Many of these were won by participants. Others will be rolled over to a new competition to be announced soon. Click here for details! 

• NATIONAL CONFERENCE:  “Wildlife Tourism Values and Challenges: Balancing the needs of Wildlife, Tourists, Tour Operators, and Local Residents.”  Tasmania October 2018  (pdf of roundtable discussions now available) https://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/blog/events/wildlife-tourism-conference-tasmania-october-2018/. The report on roundtable discussions is now available as a downloadable pdf from the website

• NATIONAL CONFERENCE:  “Where the Wild Things Grow: Leadership, Partnerships, and Ethics in Wildlife Tourism” Adelaide, 2016 https://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/blog/events/wildlife-tourism-conference-south-australia-november-2016/

• NATIONAL CONFERENCE:  “Wildlife Tourism: A Force for Biodiversity Conservation and Local Economies?” Geelong, 2015 https://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/blog/events/wildlife-tourism-conference-geelong-2015/

• NATIONAL WORKSHOP: “Snake as Sister, Spectacle or Scientific Object: Connecting the dots for Wildlife Tourism” Darwin 2013 https://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/blog/workshop-2013

• NATIONAL WORKSHOP: “Using Wildlife for Tourism: Opportunities, Threats, Responsibilities,” Currumbin, Gold Coast 2012 https://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/blog/using-wildlife-for-tourism-national-workshop-2012/

• WORKSHOP: “Illegal Wildlife Trafficking: Attacking on All Fronts”, Sydney, the report of which has since been sent to various organisations and politicians worldwide https://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/blog/events/illegal-wildlife-trafficking-attacking-on-all-fronts/

• WORKSHOP: “Enjoyable, Memorable and Meaningful: Using Wildlife Tourism to Do it All,” https://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/blog/events/wildlife-interpretation-workshop-queensland-september-2016/ at Binna Burra and a follow-up workshop the following year at Atherton. (Wildlife Interpretation: Into the Future””).

For various reports on some of the events run by WTA or attended by WTA members please visit:

Some other events in recent years:

International Coral Reef Symposium

Cairns, Australia July 2012.

http://www.icrs2012.com/Default.htm

 

Bush Lore Australia

• Wilderness Survival Course- Basic: 28 to 29 July 2012
• Outdoor Navigation Course: 28 to 29 July 2012

 

The 8th National Rehabilitation Conference,

Townsville, Nth Queensland, July 16-20, 2012

 

Emerging Tourism Opportunities – People, Partnerships and Programs in the Kimberley

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Camera Trapping in Wildlife Management & Research Colloquium

September 2012, Sydney

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Binna Burra Bird Week with Barry Davies

October 2012 (Barry, of Gondwana Guides, is a member, and former committee member, of WTA)

http://www.binnaburralodge.com.au/Binna-Burra/News-Events/News/Annual-Binna-Burra-Bird-Break-with-Barry-Davies

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Global Eco Conference

Cairns 15-17 October 2012 Ecotourism Australia

(attended by Ronda Green and Peter Wood, chair and secretary of Wildlife Tourism Australia, and Ronda presented a paper on wildlife tourism)

See: http://www.globaleco.com.au/

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Training with Savannah Guides

1-4 November 2012

Nitmiluk National Park, Northern Territory

The Savannah Guides School was held on the theme of “Working Together – Savannah Guides Partnerships” with a heavy involvement by NT Parks and Wildlife Service and Tourism NT, and association also with the Indigenous Business Partners and communities and organisations of the Katherine region.

Using Wildlife for Tourism: Opportunities, Threats, Responsibilities

Wildlife Tourism Australia’s 3rd national workshop
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Gold Coast, May 2012
Economics of wildlife tourism, providing world-class interpretation, contributions of wildlife tourism to conservation, minimising negative impacts.

 

Wildlife Expo

Wildlife Tourism Australia had a display at  the Scenic Rim’s third Wildlife Expo in Beaudesert (southeast Queensland) Sunday 7th August 2011

Animals, People – a Shared Environment, Conference in Brisbane

 

The 4th Biennial Australian Animal Studies Group Conference

Brisbane 10- – 13th July 2011. The theme, Animals, People – a Shared Environment, includes wildlife tourism as one of the topics, and Ronda Green (Chair WTA spoke of her experiences in wildlife tourism and human-wildlife interaction).

 

World Environmental Education Congress

WEEC Brisbane 19-23 July 2011

Tropical Tourism Outlook Conference: 

Bird Fair, Sydney

ITSA, Perth, Western Australia,  26-29 November 2014

International Tourism Studies Association Conference 

Many wildlife-related topics will be discussed, from Australian and Asian perspectives.

Download the flyer: ITSA_Flyer   (7Mb)

Also, consider the possibility of sponsorship or a display: FINAL – ITSA_Prospectus-print

Wildlife Week |O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, Lamington National Park

January 19-23 2015
Join the likes of Dr. Ian Gynther, Senior Conservation Officer with the Threatened Species Branch of Queensland’s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP), for an exciting week of tracking, trapping and sneaking up on wildlife all in the name of conservation.

Email:   events@oreillys.com.au    |  Web: www.oreillys.com.au  

Telephone:  +61 7 5502 4900 

For other news:

• Check our blog, especially the ‘News‘ category (headlines of our most recent blogs can be seen to the right of the screen on the home page)
• Our Facebook is always active so come and join us Facebook page
• Connect with us on our Wildlife Tourism Australia page at Linked-In
• Become a WTA Member and receive up-to-date news every month.
• Check out our Wildlife Research Network website that details a large range of wildlife research going on around Australia that anyone can do.

Some recent headlines in the media and our website:

28 July 2013

• Two new papers on visitor monitoring in parks

26 July 2013

• Rescue teams have freed a whale entangled in a shark net off Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
• NENW has 12 finalists in Inland Tourism Awards – ABC News …
• Noosa named as venue for top eco-tourism conference