User:Robertbednarik/sandbox

The Australian Rock Art Research Association (AURA) was established by Robert G. Bednarik in 1983. Its journal Rock Art Research was founded in the following year and has been the foremost refereed journal in the field ever since. AURA has a substantial international membership and became the world's largest rock art organization within five years of its establishment. It held the first major international conference on rock art, the First AURA Congress, in Darwin, Australia, in 1988, attended by many hundreds of specialists. The Second AURA Congress was held in Cairns in 1992; the Third AURA Congress was in Alice Springs. Six smaller 'Inter-Congress Symposia' have also been conducted. In 1988, the journal Rock Art Research became also the official organ of the newly formed International Federation of Rock Art Organizations (IFRAO). Members of AURA conduct research work throughout most of the world. The Association has been particularly effective in the protection of threatened sites in various countries, and in promoting the interests of indigenous peoples as custodians of rock art. AURA fosters the replacement of traditional humanistic research approaches with scientiofic methodologies. Applications for membership are encouraged. AURA is a registered charity, supporting rock art research work and protection efforts.