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UPDATES FROM REGIONAL SECTIONS AND WORKING GROUPS

• AFRICA
• AUSTRAL AND NEOTROPICAL AMERICA
• EUROPE
• MARINE
• NORTH AMERICA
• FRESHWATER WORKING GROUP
• SOCIAL SCIENCE WORKING GROUP

AFRICA

With the help of our information officer, a career guide for the conservation biology discipline in Africa in both English and French is now available on the Section's Web site (www.conbio.org/Africa). If you want a copy of the guide but cannot download PDF documents via the internet, please email Stephen Awoyemi (stephen_awoyemi@yahoo.com).

A capacity-development project aimed at young African conservation biologists that was launched at SCB's 2004 annual meeting is currently in its second stage. The project provides opportunities for young Africans to present their research with the assistance of senior scientists. The second stage involves the completion of a scientific article appropriate for a peer-reviewed journal. The majority of participants in the project successfully have given presentations and had peer-reviewed publications accepted for a special issue of Biological Conservation. As a follow-up, an event is being planned for SCB's 2006 annual meeting to give African scientists the opportunity to discuss how best to use their scientific results to inform policy and management.

Since the 2005 annual meeting, the flow of discussion has increased among female scientists with interest in biological conservation in Africa. Both genders are welcome to participate in continued dialogue. The goal of this effort is to promote the discipline of conservation biology and increase its appeal to women, especially young scientists from developing countries with an emphasis on Africa. For more information, contact Christina Ellis (CEenbrousse@aol.com) or the Africa Section board (Africa@conbio.org).

SCB's 2006 annual meeting presents an opportunity to emphasize social issues that bear on the real challenges of biological conservation in Africa. Accordingly, the Section hopes to convene a symposium in addition to the Section's annual members' meeting to discuss four major issues related to conservation in Africa - science, conservation, policy, and development - and the role of SCB and its 2007 annual meeting in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. We are pleased to extend an invitation to researchers, students, managers, policy makers, and funding agencies with interest in conservation in Africa to join the Africa section in its presentations and meetings in San Jose. Scientists in the global environmental research community who address human dimensions are particularly welcome, especially those interested in land use and land cover change. Financial assistance from any organization that can help support attendance of Africans at the meeting is most welcome; please contact the Africa Section board or programs@paned.org (attention: Delali Dovie).

Delali Dovie

AUSTRAL AND NEOTROPICAL AMERICA

The third annual meeting of the Board of Directors of the Austral and Neotropical America Section was held 29-30 August at the Centro Tupper de Investigación y Desarrollo, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama. The meeting was attended by seven board members: J.A. Simonetti (President, Chile), R. Medellín (President Elect, Mexico), J.P. Rodríguez (Past President, Venezuela), A. Sánchez-Azofeifa (Chief Financial Officer, Costa Rica / Canada), L.F. Aguirre (Membership and Programs, Bolivia), J. Jiménez (Conservation, Chile), and J. Calvo (Nominations, Policy, and Audit, Costa Rica). During the meeting, Simonetti completed his term as President and Medellín assumed that position for 2005-2007.

In Panama, the strategic plan adopted during the first annual Board of Directors meeting in La Habana, Cuba was critically reviewed with respect to accomplishments and challenges. The Section adopted SCB's strategic planning process [see SCB Newsletter 12(3)] as its own, focusing activities on the same issues adopted in La Habana.

The Section has been very active during 2005. From 2003-2005 we organized two series of seminars, organized two symposia, and co-hosted or sponsored three scientific meetings, including SCB's 2005 annual meeting in Brasilia. To increase regional capacity building opportunities, we sponsored four graduate level courses, organized a network of video conferences, launched an ad hoc committee for student affairs, published a review of financial needs to foster capacity building in the region, and, thanks to the support of The Christensen Fund, sponsored 31 new SCB members. Seven of these memberships were given as prizes for the best conservation-related papers delivered by students and young professionals at two scientific meetings. The Section also agreed to support three new graduate level courses in Bolivia.

To facilitate access to scientific information, the Section sponsors NeoCons and has launched a Web page with information about scientific journals and regional graduate programs in conservation biology and resource management. An outcome of these activities has been an steady increase in membership, although the proportion of scientists and students from the region that are SCB members remains low.

In addition to its own meeting, the Board of Directors organized a set of lectures in association with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Lectures by W. Laurence, R. Medellín, J. Wright, and J.P. Rodríguez reached 27 students and researchers. Through opportunities such as a series of lectures (as in Guatemala) or by operating jointly with other scientific organizations, the Section plans to contribute directly to increasing the capacity of a new generation of conservation professionals in the region.

Cristian E. Olivo Quiroga

EUROPE

In September the Board of Directors met with other members of the Scientific Committee of the First European Congress of Conservation Biology (ECCB) in Hatfield, England to review symposium proposals submitted for the ECCB. We were encouraged by both the quantity and quality of submissions and are pleased to announce a provisional list of symposium titles.

Agri-environment schemes in new EU member states
Biodiversity and conservation values of urban habitat fragments
Biodiversity conservation in boreal forests
Conservation and sustainable use of wild relatives of socio-economically important plants
Conservation consequences of genetically modified plants
Conservation in botanic gardens
Conservation of European amphibians and reptiles
Conservation of European crayfish
Conserving large carnivores in European landscapes
Diversity for Europe: learning from other continents
Diversity of important transboundary wetlands of Europe
European owl conservation
Evidence-based conservation-theory and practice
Fighting invasive exotic plants
Nature conservation in freshwater ecosystems
Planning for conservation in the European landscape
Predictive distribution modeling
The role of marine protected areas in the conservation of biodiversity and fisheries management

In addition to these symposia the ECCB will host both contributed oral and poster sessions. Abstracts for papers and posters are now being accepted and we encourage you to visit the congress Web site, www.eccb2006.org, for details.

The Board meeting in Hatfield was timed to coincide with the annual meeting of the British Ecological Society, which hosted a session on conservation in Europe. The British Ecological Society invited members of the Section board to present their work to highlight the discipline of conservation biology in Europe. The session was an excellent opportunity to enhance the profile and reputation of the Section and to promote ECCB. The session was well attended and enthusiastically received.

As always, the board encourages Section members to become involved in the activities of the Section. Opportunities to participate exist in both the Education Committee and the Policy Committee. The Education Committee is continuing its work to compile a database of undergraduate and graduate conservation education opportunities across Europe. If you would like to become involved or simply wish to provide information about opportunities in your country or at your institution, contact Renato Massa (renato.massa@unimib.it).

Another way to get involved is to take part in the ECCB, so start thinking about an abstract and keep 22-26 August 2006 free in your diary!

Please contact the board with any questions or comments (europe@conservationbiology.org).

Owen Nevin

MARINE

SCB2006 and the Third Symposium on Marine Conservation Biology

The Marine Section board continues its planning for the Third Symposium on Marine Conservation Biology, which will be integrated into SCB's 2006 annual meeting. There was a strong response to the call for symposium proposals and we look forward to an enthusiastic marine presence at the meeting.

Marine Policy News

Within the United States, marine policy news continues to be dominated by a lack of response from the current administration and Congress to two seminal reports from the National Ocean Commission and Pew Commission that outlined an aggressive plan for ecosystems management and other changes in the management of oceans and coastal zones.

In the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Florida's governor recently appeared to be moving away from his previous position of opposing all oil and gas development off the Florida coast. Citing high costs of oil and gasoline following the hurricanes, some congressional leaders likewise are encouraging new drilling in U.S. coastal waters. According to Interior Secretary Norton, 3050 of the 4000 oil and gas platforms managed by the U.S. Minerals Management Service in the Gulf of Mexico were in the path of Katrina or Rita, and 108 older platforms were destroyed (accounting for 1.7% of oil production and 0.9% of gas production). Fifty-three additional platforms suffered significant damage and are being repaired. Overall, a substantial portion of U.S. domestic fossil fuels production, 30% of oil and 21% of natural gas, comes from the 1.76 billion acres of the country's outer continental shelf.

The hurricanes left behind a tremendous amount of trash and toxic waste. This poses challenges both to public health and to biodiversity in the region.

In Oregon, researchers have pointed to an apparent increase in toxic algae blooms that they believe may be a result of climate change, and human impacts on the coasts with resulting elevated levels of the toxin demoic acid.

The warmer Caribbean Sea waters that have fueled hurricanes also may be exacerbating coral bleaching. Corals near Florida, Cuba, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Barbados, and elsewhere may be undergoing the most substantial bleaching event since 1997-1998.

Hawaii's governor signed legislation protecting the waters out to three miles of the northwestern Hawaiian Islands from extractive activities. It appears that the state may be seeking to extend the same level of protection to 200 miles offshore.

John Cigliano and Rob Wilder

NORTH AMERICA

Two items to discuss this month: nominations for the Board of Directors and the results of our poll on hosting a semi-annual meeting for the North America Section.

First, nominations . . . We need to elect three people to join the board in June 2006 to replace the members who will complete their three-year terms. In addition, we need to elect a President Elect, who will serve in that capacity for two years and then assume the presidency for two years.

The Nominations Committee (Past President David Wilcove and soon-to-be Past President Steve Trombulak) for the Section is currently soliciting interest for all of these positions. To be nominated, a candidate must be a member in good standing of both SCB and the Section. Board responsibilities include an interest in working to develop the Section as an active body for advancing conservation biology in North America and for representing conservation biologists in this region. Responsibilities for the President Elect include an interest in providing leadership to the Section board to achieve these goals, as well as representing the Section on SCB's Board of Governors. In practical terms, it is expected that members of the board will respond to email concerning Section business, participate in occasional conference calls, and, if possible, attend the Section board meeting held during one lunch period at SCB's annual meeting.

If you are interested in serving, please send a statement of interest to the Nominations Committee (c/o either trombulak@middlebury.edu or dwilcove@Princeton.edu) including name, current position, contact information, which position (board member or President Elect) interests you, and a brief (200-word maximum) statement concerning your interest. Statements of interest must be received by 15 January 2006. An announcement about the ballot and election procedures will be made via email to all members of the Section during early 2006. Elections will be held via the Web during mid 2006.

Second, the results of the poll . . . Almost 400 people generously participated in the poll, for which I am very grateful. This kind of participation and input is vital to helping the board act in accordance to the will of the Section membership. Here are the results of the first four questions.

1. Select the response that best represents your feelings. Please check only one.

-- A North American meeting of some kind in the non-North America years is a good idea; without it, I would probably not go to a SCB meeting that year. 236 (61.1%)

-- A North American meeting of some kind in the non-North America years is a good idea; without it, I would probably go to the international meeting, but if there was a North American meeting I would go to it instead. 15 (3.9%)

-- A North American meeting of some kind in the non-North America years is a good idea; I would be interested in going to both the North American and international meetings. 33 (8.5%)

-- No need to develop a North American meeting because I would only want to go to one SCB meeting per year and I would prefer to go to the annual meeting even when it is held outside of North America. 67 (17.4%)

-- No need to develop a North American meeting because even if I don't go to the annual meeting outside of North America, I probably would not go to the North American meeting anyway. 35 (9.1%)

-- No response. 2

2. Regardless of your response to Question 1, if the North America Section did offer some kind of Section meeting in the non-North America years, which of the following approaches for the meeting do you think are worth considering? Please check all that apply.

-- Co-host the meeting with another conservation-oriented professional society, such as the Natural Areas Association or the U.S. Chapter of the Society for Ecological Economics. 326 (45.3%)

-- Host the meeting on our own, such as we usually do for our annual meetings. 204 (28.3%)

-- Promote and support the development of meetings among some or all of the local chapters rather than having a single North American meeting. 190 (26.4%)

-- No response. 4

3. With respect to the options listed in Question 2, which one represents your preferred approach?

-- Co-host the meeting with another conservation-oriented professional society, such as the Natural Areas Association or the U.S. Chapter of the Society for Ecological Economics. 220 (57.9%)

-- Host the meeting on our own, such as we usually do for our annual meetings. 73 (19.2%)

-- Promote and support the development of meetings among some or all of the local chapters rather than having a single North American meeting. 87 (22.9%)

-- No response. 8

4. SCB will impose a two-month black-out period around the SCB meeting date (usually held in June or July) on when a North America Section meeting could be held. This means any such meeting only could be held between September and April. Which one period represents your preferred choice for when such a meeting is held?

-- September - November 138 (36.1%)

-- December - January 66 (17.3%)

-- February - April 178 (46.6%)

-- No response. 6

The sentiment of the Section membership seems quite clear: a Sectional meeting is a good idea, with a preference to hold the meeting in conjunction with another professional society, preferably in the boreal spring. I encourage you to look closely at the data to see what conclusions you draw from them.

The written comments that people included with their responses were impressively extensive. They are presented in their entirety, with only the personal information deleted, at www.conbio.org/SCB/Activities/Sections/NAmerica/survey/NAsurveyResults.pdf. One of the clear patterns to emerge from the comments in the aggregate is that some people feel that hosting a Section meeting is not a good idea because it would work against North Americans attending the non-North American meeting held in the June-July-August period. The following passage is representative of that sentiment:

"I feel that a national meeting held during years in which an "international" meeting is being held would draw attendance away from the latter, which I feel would be an affront to international hosts and a disservice to the society as a whole."

A counterpoint to this view was also expressed: many members of the Section simply are unable to attend meetings held outside of North America, and therefore holding a North American meeting of some kind is their best chance of participating in an SCB meeting that year. That this constraint falls especially heavy on our members who are graduate students or government employees is expressed by the following passages:

"As a government (Forest Service research) employee it is increasingly complicated to get approval for and arrange international travel to meetings."

"Attending SCB meetings is a wonderful way for graduate students to meet and connect with their colleagues in conservation science. Although I fully support the practice of holding SCB meetings outside of North America so that non-NA'ers can more easily attend, it's nearly impossible for most NA graduate students to acquire enough funding to attend non-NA SCB meetings-so many graduate students can only attend one or two SCB meetings during their graduate careers."

"While the increased emphasis by SCB on international growth and coordination is appropriate it is also critical that we maintain an enhanced level of information exchange and support for the many critical conservation issues in NA, which have not and will not go away. A separate NA meeting of some kind is a good strategy to address that need and hopefully would not draw attendance and support away from the international meeting, but that is an acceptable risk."

The board takes seriously all of the feelings held on this issue. We will search to find a course for the future that maximally achieves the goals we all share-meeting the needs of all of our members, ensuring career development opportunities for the upcoming generation of conservation professionals, and support for the strategic goals of the SCB-at minimal cost. Whatever choice is made, be assured that this will be done with full consideration of all the views expressed.

If you have further thoughts on this issue, please feel free to send them directly to me (trombulak@middlebury.edu).

Steve Trombulak

FRESHWATER WORKING GROUP

In August 2005, the symposium Catch-and-release Science and its Application to Conservation and Management was convened at the American Fisheries Society (AFS) annual meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. The symposium was co-sponsored by the Freshwater Working Group of SCB and the Fisheries Management Section of AFS. The symposium included 21 high-quality presentations and concluded with a lively facilitated discussion. This comprehensive symposium was the first since the early 1990s to bring together a diverse group of catch-and-release researchers engaged in both freshwater and marine systems. Presentations focused on topics such as hooking injury and mortality, gear technology (e.g. circle hooks), physiological disturbances associated with angling, energetic / behavioral / fitness alterations following release, human dimensions of catch-and-release, and disseminating research findings to anglers through outreach.

Although participants discussed different taxa and problems, there was a common theme of identifying generalized patterns relevant to conservation and management. Another theme of the symposium, elevating the status of recreational angling among the global conservation community, reflected that the negative effects of recreational fisheries tend to be overshadowed by commercial fisheries. Emphasizing the global nature of recreational fisheries, presentations were delivered on catch-and-release in Norway, Namibia, the Bahamas, and Germany. Although many of the contributions identified potential negative consequences of catch-and-release angling, most went on to actually suggest simple ways to remedy the problems. For example, several presenters noted that fish angled during the reproductive period can have reduced reproductive success. However, this can be remedied by avoiding angling during times when fish are engaged in reproductive activity. Another presentation focused on how to educate anglers on issues associated with capture of fish in deep water. The presenter summarized all available techniques for returning fish to depth, focusing on those that have been developed for anglers by anglers. There seemed to be consensus that changing angler behavior and gear through outreach and education may be more effective than through regulation. Another contribution summarized all hooking mortality data in an attempt to evaluate whether catch-and-release angling was compatible with the premise of no-take aquatic protected areas. The conservation community can expect to hear much more on catch-and-release angling and recreational fisheries in the coming years with some of that research undoubtedly destined to appear in leading conservation journals.

Steven Cooke, Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario

SOCIAL SCIENCE WORKING GROUP

Join the discussion list. If you haven't already signed up for the Social Science Working Group (SSWG) discussion list, please do so at http://list.conbio.org/mailman/listinfo/SSWG. The discussion list is the primary SCB outlet for SSWG updates, as well as conservation social science news, dialogue, and job and conference announcements. Please sign on and let us know what you are doing.

Call for social science paper submissions. The SSWG encourages conservation social scientists to submit abstracts for contributed papers at the 2006 annual meeting. For details please visit the meeting Web site or contact Richard Wallace, SSWG Program Committee chair, rwallace@ursinus.edu.

Call for conservation social science syllabi. The Education Committee of the SSWG is compiling sample syllabi for social science courses that focus on biodiversity conservation. Such syllabi may include courses in conservation geography, environmental / ecological economics, environmental anthropology, environmental politics and policy, environmental sociology, and conservation psychology. The compilation will provide educators a resource for designing similar courses.

Please send electronic copies of sample syllabi to William Forbes, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX 936-468-2373 USA, forbesw@sfasu.edu. Please also indicate whether you grant permission to post the syllabus on the Web. An example of such a compilation is provided by the American Society for Environmental History: www.h-net.org/~environ/
syllabi/syllabuslibrary.html.

Join a SSWG committee. The SSWG is looking for volunteers to help with the activities of its nine committees. If you're interested in participating in any of these efforts, please contact the relevant committee chair directly.

-- Program Committee. Richard Wallace, Chair (rwallace@ursinus.edu). Coordinates SSWG involvement in the annual SCB meeting, meetings of SCB's Regional Sections, and with Conservation Biology and Conservation In Practice.

-- Education Committee. William Forbes, Chair (forbesw@sfasu.edu). Coordinates SSWG activities that serve conservation social science researchers and academic instructors. The committee is currently compiling conservation social science syllabi and soon will solicit and edit working papers. These products will be shared with educators and practitioners through the SSWG Web site.

-- Policy Committee. Jennifer Jones, Chair (jenleejones@gmail.com). Coordinates SSWG activities targeting conservation policymakers. Initial activities probably will include development of briefing packages and fact sheets for policymakers based on working papers, symposium and workshop presentations, and so forth.

-- Communications Committee. Nejem Raheem, Chair (nejemraheem@yahoo.com). Coordinates SSWG communication activities. Initial activities include development of the SSWG Web site, SSWG contributions to the SCB newsletter, and SSWG promotional materials.

-- Membership Committee. Peter Wilshusen, Chair (pwilshus@bucknell.edu). Coordinates SSWG membership activities. Initial activities include outreach, strengthening and diversifying the SSWG membership base, developing a membership and / or expert directory, and managing the membership database.

-- Nominations Committee. Katrina Brandon, Chair (k.brandon@conservation.org). Identifies candidates for the SSWG board and possible candidates for the social science seat on SCB's Board of Governors. Also helps to coordinate SSWG elections with SCB's Executive Office.

-- Student Affairs Committee. Joshua Drew, Chair (jdrew@bu.edu). Initiates and contributes to student-related SSWG activities. Initial activities include identifying job and funding opportunities and developing a student paper series.

-- Audit Committee. Oliver Pergams, Chair (pergams@uic.edu). Reviews SSWG financial statements and reports.

-- Conservation Committee. Open chair. Contact Mike Mascia (michael.mascia@wwfus.org) for information. Coordinates SSWG activities targeting conservation practitioners. The committee's initial activities will include compilation and delivery of social science tools to conservation practitioners.

Nejem Raheem

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