[TABD] Conference announcement: Beyond 2010: strategies for understanding and responding to long-term trends in UK biodiversity

[Blanca Huertas]

*Conference

*Natural History Museum, London

*16-17 November 2010

*Organisers: 

   UK Environmental Change Network  (ECN)

   Natural History Museum (NHM)

   Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH)

*Details: http://www.ecn.ac.uk/Conf2010/Conf2010.htm

 

About the conference

Human health and well-being depends on biological diversity for the maintenance of many 'ecosystem services' that deliver food, fuel, clean water and medicines, and provide for our social, cultural and spiritual needs. Yet, due largely to human actions, biodiversity has been declining around the globe, including within the terrestrial, freshwater and coastal habitats of the UK. Despite the aims of the Convention on Biological Diversity there is little evidence to suggest any decline in the rate of these losses. Biological monitoring allows not only the quantification of rates of change but, together with experimental and modelling approaches, also improves understanding of the drivers and processes of change. This enables the development of better strategies to protect biodiversity and the ecosystem services that it supports. 

 

The UK boasts a rich history of biological and ecological surveying, monitoring and research, but very few monitoring programmes have been maintained for long enough to provide definitive data on long-term trends and provide the necessary guidance for future management. Those that have survived face an uncertain future, particularly in the current economic climate, while developments in scientific understanding and instrumentation reveal new areas of concern and opportunity where monitoring by professionals and members of the public should play an important role in the future.

 

Through a series of talks from invited speakers this conference aims to:

1)      consider current and likely future national requirements for biodiversity monitoring and research;

2)      demonstrate the ways in which long-term studies have contributed to our understanding of key biodiversity-related issues;

3)      illustrate through case-studies the challenges faced in improving the quality, reliability and efficiency of measurements; data processing, interoperability and analysis; and the communication of results;

4)      explore opportunities to improve monitoring capability through recent developments in science,  instrumentation, and public participation, and

5)      consider the potential for synergies between programmes and future directions for this area of research.

 

 

In addition to oral presentations, group discussion sessions will enable delegates to pursue key issues in greater depth. On the basis of these discussions and presentations the conference will formulate recommendations for the improvement and future development of biodiversity monitoring and research in the UK and elsewhere.

 

Although the emphasis will be on the UK, the conference will be of international relevance, since many of the issues to be discussed are essentially global and often the solutions require international cooperation.

 

 

Programme and further details

The latest conference programme and further details are available at the conference web pages: http://www.ecn.ac.uk/Conf2010/Conf2010.htm. The programme now indicates times and dates for the sessions.

 

How to register

Please complete the registration form at the conference web pages: http://www.ecn.ac.uk/Conf2010/Conf2010.htm. The deadline for registering is: 31st October 2010.

 

Costs

In order to cover some of the costs of organising this event, there is a small delegate fee of £60. Accommodation is not provided. Some useful links and maps are provided on the conference web pages if you need to arrange accommodation. The conference will begin after lunch on Tuesday 16 November. When registering, please indicate on the form if you would like to attend an evening meal on 16 November. If there is sufficient interest we will organise a meal at a local restaurant. We may have to ask you to pay in advance for this.

 

We look forward to hearing from you soon. Please forward this e-mail to anyone you think may be interested in the conference. Thank you.

 

Kind regards,

Andrew Sier

ECN Science Liaison Officer

On behalf of the Conference Planning Team

P.S. Please accept our apologies for cross-posting

 

 

Dr Andrew Sier

ECN Science Liaison Officer

NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Lancaster Environment Centre

Library Avenue, Bailrigg

Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 1524 595840

Webs: www.ceh.ac.uk -- www.ecn.ac.uk -- www.alter-net.info -- www.ilternet.edu -- www.lter-europe.net -- http://newsandviews.ceh.c.uk/ -- www.natura2000exchange.eu

 

Please consider the environment before printing this message

 

 

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