Join the Royal Society of South Australia and the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia for a scientific forum on the biogeography of Australia and Asia being held as part of National Science Week 2023. This jointly hosted forum will explore the theme and legacy of Alfred Russel Wallace who proposed a theory of evolution at the same time as Darwin and after whom the Wallace Line is named.

This year marks 200 years since the birth of Wallace.

Wallace proposed a theory of evolution at the same time as Darwin, but his contribution to the science of evolution remains less celebrated. The Wallace line is a boundary proposed in 1859 by Wallace to separate the biogeographical realms of SE Asia and Australia. To the west of the Line are found organisms related to Asiatic species; to the east, a mixture of species of Asian and Australian origins exist.

The event will be introduced by Leigh Radford OAM, RGSSA President. Speakers include Dr Kate Sanders and Dr James Nankivell from the University of Adelaide, Dr Kai Tea from the University of Sydney and Australian Museum Research Institute, and Dr Kevin Rowe from Museums Victoria. Each speaker will give a brief presentation followed by a panel discussion to which the audience will be invited to contribute.

The event starts at 6pm but will be preceded by light refreshments from 5pm.