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UPDATES FROM REGIONAL SECTIONS AND WORKING GROUPS

• ASIA
• AUSTRALASIA
• EUROPE
• MARINE
• FRESHWATER WORKING GROUP
• SOCIAL SCIENCE WORKING GROUP
• EXPLORATION OF NEW WORKING GROUP ON RELIGION AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

ASIA

We are in the midst of elections for three positions on the Section's Board of Directors. The new directors will replace Ahmed Khan, Tom McCarthy, Linda Whittaker, and Eric Wikramanayake, whose terms end this year. We encourage nominations (including self-nominations) from members of the Section, especially those from central and western Asia, which are currently under-represented. Contact Linda Whittaker (Linda.Whittaker@npa.org.il or olsvig2000@yahoo.com) for instructions on the nominating procedure.

We are beginning preparations to host the 2009 annual meeting in Beijing. This will be the first SCB annual meeting hosted by the Asia Section, and so 2008 will be a busy year. We are working with a suite of Chinese scientists to ensure that the meeting is successful.

In advance of the Beijing meeting, Section president Jeff McNeely and Conservation Biology editor Gary Meffe have initiated an effort to prepare a special section for the journal on priority conservation concerns in Asia. The Board has been considering topics and aims to invite ten policy-oriented papers.

Linda Whittaker

AUSTRALASIA

Regional Meeting

The inaugural meeting of the Australasia Section, The Biodiversity Extinction Crisis -- An Australian and Pacific Response, was held 10-13 July 2007 at University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The meeting was a fantastic success. We welcomed 369 attendees to 11 plenaries, five symposia, 22 concurrent sessions, 146 contributed oral presentations, and 15 poster presentations. The meeting focused on five major themes: regional challenges; managing threatening processes of universal importance; case studies of conservation in action, including biodiversity monitoring and assessment; conservation science and policy; and conservation science and the community. Two opening plenaries, presented by Michael Soulé and Dick Watling, set the stage for the three-day meeting. Michael, one of SCB's founders, gave a broad overview comparing conservation challenges in North America to those in Australia, whereas Dick talked about the disparity of resources between government and non-governmental conservation agencies in Fiji.

There was wide media coverage of the meeting, including Chris Dickman's thought provoking plenary presentation on conservation in arid lands and the symposium that addressed whether dingoes have a role in conservation.

The number of participants far exceeded our expectations, indicating a strong need and desire for conservation meetings in the Australasian region. The vast majority of attendees (88%) were from Australia. Other countries represented included New Zealand (4%), Papua New Guinea (3%), Fiji (2%), the United States (2%), and a single representative from each of New Caledonia, French Polynesia, India, and Colombia. We were particularly gratified to have such strong attendance from the developing nations in our region.

Sponsorship, another key factor in the success of this meeting, allowed us to help support the attendance of professionals and students from developing nations. Many thanks to our key sponsors: the Society for Conservation Biology, Department of Environment and Water Resources, New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change, Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Landcare Research New Zealand, Land and Water Australia, Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, CSIRO publishing, Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales, and Humane Society International. Thanks to the University of New South Wales Bookshop and Surrey Beatty & Sons for providing student awards, and especially to the University of New South Wales for hosting the meeting.

Analysis of the evaluation forms distributed to attendees is ongoing. Preliminary results indicate that the majority of scientific sessions were rated favorably, as were the location, venue facilities and staff, registration process, and catering. Most suggestions related to improving movement among sessions, providing additional time for discussion, promoting interactions with and involvement of indigenous Australians and those from developing nations, and including a greater proportion of presentations on conservation of plants and invertebrates.

The Section made a financial profit on the meeting, which will be used to support other conservation programs and initiatives in the region. We look forward to seeing you at the next Section meeting in 2009.

Karen Firestone and Richard Kingsford

Student awards at the Biodiversity Extinction Crisis Conference in Sydney

Seven student awards were presented during the Biodiversity Extinction Crisis Conference, which was held 10-12 July 2007 at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Gift packs and book vouchers were provided by the University Bookstore. We also awarded memberships to SCB and subscriptions to Pacific Conservation Biology. Congratulations to the following student awardees.

Best overall presentation
Monica Ruibal, Australian National University, Australia
Non-invasive faecal DNA sampling: an evaluation of field and genetic methods for estimating population abundance of the spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus)

Best overall presentation (runner-up)
Alana Burley, University of Melbourne, Australia
Demography of Pometia pinnata and Canarium indicum in tropical rain forest: impacts of anthropogenic disturbance from subsistence agriculture

Best overall presentation (runner-up)
Wendy Foster, University of Adelaide and Zoos SA, Australia
Captive breeding with multiple paternity: a case study using the red-tailed phascogale, Phascogale calura

Best overall presentation (runner-up)
Nunia Thomas, University of the South Pacific, Fiji
Determining the spatial associations of the Fiji Ground Frog and the Cane Toad on Viwa Island, Fiji using SADIE: implications for conservation and management

Best Pacific Island presentation
Edward Narayan, University of the South Pacific, Fiji
Captive management, breeding, and aspects of reproductive physiology of endangered Fijian ground frog (Platymantis vitianus)

Best poster
Steven Hamilton
Intraspecific mammalian phylogeography: conservation connections between Australia and New Guinea

Best honors or Masters presentation
Rachel Musgrave
Management units in the Tasmanian Bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) (poster)

Wendy Jackson

Listserv

Our Section now has a listserv. Please take advantage of it for communication within our region.

EUROPE

In September 2007, the Board of the Europe Section met with the proposed hosts of the 2nd European Congress of Conservation Biology. We are pleased to announce that the 2nd ECCB will be held 1-5 September 2009 at the Czech University of Agriculture, Prague. Further details and a first call for symposium proposals will be circulated in late November or December. The first ECCB had over 1000 participants from more than 50 countries. We are confident that the excellent facilities at the university, the beautiful city of Prague, and the capable and enthusiastic Local Organizing Committee will make the second EECB highly successful and memorable. The first congress highlighted the desire (and need) of conservation biologists to work together with other scientists (e.g., sociologists, economists), educators, practitioners, and decision makers. We hope that the second congress will push back the boundaries of traditional conservation disciplines and draw in those working in other subject areas and in policy roles to foster strong working relationships.

As the newsletter went to press, the Section was in the midst of annual elections. Four positions on the Board are open. Profiles of the candidates and voting instructions are available at www.conbio.org. If you are a voting member of the Section, please visit the Web site and exercise your democratic right! If you have not yet joined a Section, why not visit the Web site and update your profile? Section membership is free. SCB members may be voting members of two Sections and nonvoting members of any number of additional Sections.

In addition to meeting with the Local Organizing Committee and beginning to plan the next ECCB, the Board reviewed the Section's progress toward meeting the objectives set out in our 2006-2010 Strategic Plan. The Section's committees have been active, and many of the tasks in the 2007 work plan have been achieved, but there is still much to do. Opportunities are available for keen, active Section members to participate in the work of the committees. If you are interested, contact the committee chairs. Details of the committees' activities and contact information for chairs are available on the Web site.

As always the Board encourages the participation of Section members in our activities and reminds you that voting is an important element of membership. To contact us with any questions or comments email europe@conservationbiology.org or visit www.conbio.org/Sections/Europe.

Owen Nevin

MARINE

The Marine Section will host its first stand-alone meeting, the International Marine Conservation Congress, from 20-24 May 2009 at George Mason University near Washington, D.C. This meeting will be an interdisciplinary event that will engage natural and social scientists, managers, policy makers, and the public. The goal of the meeting is to translate conservation science into practice through public and media outreach and the development of concrete products (e.g., policy briefs, blue ribbon position papers) that will be used to drive policy change and implementation. Major themes that will be addressed include global climate change, the land-sea interface, ecosystem-based management, and poverty and globalization.

In an attempt to tackle the most pressing issues currently facing marine conservation, the meeting will host plenary talks and solicit creative submissions for interactive symposia and workshops. The conservation community will be challenged to go beyond the typical communication of data by proposing symposia or workshops in which presentations will be followed by lively, participatory discussions to address a controversial topic or develop innovative solutions to a current conservation challenge. Symposium organizers will be encouraged to invite a select group of speakers and to devise creative ways to facilitate discussion. Smaller workshops will be held to bring together people with diverse expertise with the goal of developing a list of recommendations, a policy briefing, or a white paper on a specific topic. Workshops can be held over three consecutive days.

Planning is well underway and we will begin advertising in earnest very shortly. Please check the Marine Section's Web site regularly for updated information and volunteer opportunities.

Ellen Hines

FRESHWATER WORKING GROUP

Sponsored Memberships

Our working group now has almost 600 members. We gained more than 100 members in 2007 thanks to The Nature Conservancy's sponsorships for SCB members in developing countries. However, only 225 members subscribe to the listserv. We encourage you to subscribe at http://list.conbio.org/mailman/listinfo/freshwater/

2008 Annual Meeting

The geographic region that surrounds Chattanooga is known for its high diversity of freshwater species and ecosystems. Accordingly, we would like to have a strong presence at the meeting to highlight freshwater conservation issues. Board member Than Hitt is serving as a liaison between the working group and the local organizing committee. Please contact Than (than@vt.edu) to offer ideas or to help organize freshwater activities in Chattanooga.

Board Elections

Working group elections will run from 5 November to 1 December 2007. Four positions on the board are open for terms of two years each (1 January 2008 to 31 December 2009). Results will not be valid unless at least 10% of working group members submit a ballot, so please vote!

Board member Simon Linke was named "Riversymposium Young Water Scientist of the Year 2007" during the 10th International Riversymposium and Environmental Flows Conference in Brisbane, Australia in September. Simon received the award for his work on systematic conservation planning in riverine landscapes. Simon was the first ecologist to receive this award; previous winners were engineers and hydrologists. In his closing plenary, Simon dedicated his award to all who work to promote systematic approaches in freshwater systems. He also stated that his award demonstrates that the discipline of conservation biology has matured and is now comparable to engineering or hydrology in terms of scientific rigor and relevance to stakeholders. Congratulations Simon!

Aventino Kasangaki

SOCIAL SCIENCE WORKING GROUP

Welcome to New Board Members

Congratulations and welcome to the new members of our board, who took office at the conclusion of SCB's 2007 annual meeting. All members serve two-year terms unless otherwise indicated. Thanks to all of the candidates for their willingness to serve the working group's membership.

David Hoffman, University for Peace, Costa Rica, Education Committee chair and anthropology representative

Richard Wallace, Ursinus College, USA, reelected as Vice President and at large representative

Daniel Miller, University of Michigan, USA, Secretary and political sciences representative (one-year term)

William Forbes, Stephen F. Austin State University, USA, reelected as Chief Financial Officer and geography representative

Tara Teel, Colorado State University, USA, Conservation Committee Chair and psychology representative

Tammy Lewis, Muhlenberg College, USA, Audit Committee chair and sociology representative

Angelika Wilhelm-Rechmann, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa, Communications Committee chair and at large representative

We also extend our deep appreciation to the outgoing members of the board. They and their committees worked on far more issues than we can mention here.

Diane Russell, Conservation Committee chair and anthropology representative, for investing so much time and dedication to the development of the tools catalog.

Oliver Pergams, Chief Financial Officer, for his hard work on our financial matters.

Carol Saunders, Audit Committee chair and psychology representative, for ensuring the meticulous preparation of our annual report.

Peter Wilshusen, Communications Committee chair and sociology representative, the driving force behind everything published in the newsletter, the Web site, and all our outreach efforts.

Katrina Brandon, social science representative to SCB's Board, for her tireless work representing social science.

Please visit www.conbio.org/workinggroups/sswg/AboutBoard.cfm for further information about our activities, achievements, the rest of the board and all the committees.

We welcome anybody who would be interested in contributing to our work. Please contact Nejem Raheem at nejemraheem@yahoo.com or the committee chairs themselves if you are interested.

Nejem Raheem, on behalf of the Social Science Working Group

Call for Social Science Contributions to SCB2008

The working group seeks social scientists interested in biodiversity conservation to submit abstracts for posters or oral presentations for SCB's 2008 annual meeting. Conservation social science was well represented at the 2006 and 2007 annual meetings and we look forward to an equally strong showing in 2008. If you have questions about social science submissions, or seek general information about the working group, please contact Rich Wallace (rwallace@ursinus.edu).

Rich Wallace

EXPLORATION OF NEW WORKING GROUP ON RELIGION AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

Exploration of a new working group on religion and conservation biology is underway. The scoping team for the working group recognizes that religion is frequently a guiding component of cultures and has played a substantial role in formulating views of nature and defining relationships of humanity to nature. As such, religion can impede or contribute substantially to the conservation of biological diversity. In this regard, the scoping team recognizes that focus on the environment and Earth's biological diversity is a growing and irreversible theme not only of scientific professionals but also of theological inquiry and religious life. During the past several decades, millions of people from numerous religious and spiritual traditions throughout the world have become aware of environmental crises and contributed to the remediation of those crises. Religion and theology are "greening," and will continue to do so.

The scoping team hopes that the working group on religion and conservation biology will form over the coming year. Preliminary tasks of the team include identifying SCB members interested in joining the working group and organizing those members under a democratic structure. Once recruitment is underway and an interim group structure has been designed and implemented, the group's activities may include identification and dissemination to the SCB membership of sources on religion, theology, and culture that focus on conservation biology; appointing representatives of the working group to national and international bodies dealing with these issues; and organizing a forum on religion and conservation biology at SCB's annual meeting.

SCB member Tom Baugh will serve as interim facilitator for the working group. Baugh is currently a Fellow in Interdisciplinary Studies with the Green Institute (www.greeninstitute.net). SCB members who are interested in participating in the working group are encouraged to contact Tom (religion@conbio.org).

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