Brisbane to host leading environmental science conference

The world’s most respected freshwater scientists will be heading to the river city of Brisbane to attend the Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) Annual Meeting in 2021. The Brisbane conference will be the very first time the American-based SFS has held its annual meeting outside of North America. Australia’s reputation in water management and strong freshwater science community were behind the historic decision to choose Brisbane for the 2021 Annual Meeting. Australia also has the largest membership of the Society of Freshwater Science outside of North America, so the choice was a natural fit. The selection of Brisbane is well aligned, with the river at the heart of city life and Brisbane a water knowledge hub, while Queensland universities have established leading and diverse expertise in a broad range of arid, tropical and subtropical water environments. Queensland’s Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones commented: “Queensland is the perfect host for business events like the SFS Annual Meeting, where delegates can enjoy our vibrant capital city and world-class tourism offerings in between their conference commitments.” “The Queensland Government is proud to support business events like this which are vital to Queensland’s tourism industry – attracting visitors and promoting our destinations.” John O’Sullivan, Managing Director Tourism Australia, added: “Our Business Events Bid Fund was established to ensure Australia’s competitive position when bidding for these lucrative and important events against international competitors, and it’s great to see this win for Brisbane come through. “Since the launch of the Fund, ten bids have been converted worth nearly $100 million for Australia’s economy.” Photo by Michael Glass on Unsplash