Alistair Paterson

The Southern Deserts Conference (SD5) is an interdisciplinary meeting that promotes a comparative perspective on the Quaternary evolution of desert landscapes and peoples from the southern Hemisphere (Australia, Oceania, Africa and South America). This endeavor is necessarily based on a fluid dialogue between Quaternary sciences, climate studies, scientific dating, environmental science, archaeology, rock art research and other social sciences. SD5 will be held in Karratha in Western Australia’s Pilbara, a desert region famous for 50,000 years of human occupation. SD5 builds on successful conferences in Canberra (Australia, 2003), Arica (Chile, 2005), Kalahari (South Africa, 2008), and Mendoza (Argentina, 2014).

The central aim of the ‘Southern Deserts 5: Desertscapes: Adapting To Arid Landscapes’ is to consider transitions and adaptations in the southern hemisphere deserts from a multidisciplinary perspective. This is unique conference brings together both student, early career and established researchers to address globally significant issues regarding human adaptations to extreme and volatile environments.

A characteristic of the 2018 conference will be the platform for indigenous knowledge. Local indigenous communities will present collaborative research with UWA researchers. Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation will host a one-day workshop on the world heritage values of Murujuga — the world’s largest rock art precinct.