Australia’s deserts are some of the world’s most poorly understood landscapes. Despite covering 18% of the mainland, our desert plants, animals, ecosystem processes, and their natural histories are under threat of being lost, before they are even found.
Over the past 14 years, the Australian Desert Expeditions (ADE) has used modern scientific survey techniques, historical benchmarking and traditional knowledge to explore extensively through the most inaccessible and remote regions of central Australia.
They have produced indicative, historical and contemporary inventories of the ecology across a range of desert landscapes (e.g. dunefields, woodlands, river systems, stony ranges).
Their surveys have shed light on species abundance and habitat associations. They have also mapped the distribution and extent of threatened species, particularly in relation to feral animals like cats and foxes, invasive weeds, increased grazing pressures, and climatic events such as rainfall and fire. These patterns have been studied across different land management regimes.
Following the tradition of early scientific explorers, ADE's innovative walking expeditions have led to the discovery of significant palaeontological and archaeological sites. These findings provide insights into the processes that have shaped these landscapes over deep time, as well as the shift from traditional Aboriginal management practices to present use.
Last updated: December 2025.