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2009 ANNUAL MEETING IN BEIJING

While all attention in Beijing currently is on the Olympics, a dedicated team of Chinese conservation professionals is already organizing the 2009 SCB annual meeting, to be held in Beijing in July. Our venue will be the spectacular Olympic village. Field trips to various parts of China also will be offered. Many issues of particular interest to Asia will be on the agenda, including conservation of threatened species such as the giant panda (which was affected by the recent earthquake centered near Wolong, a national park that is renowned for its panda habitat), the wildlife trade, and non-native invasive species. Please contact me (Jeffrey.mcneely@iucn.org) if you would like further information on the meeting.

Jeff McNeely, President, Asia Section

This is a great time for SCB to hold its annual meeting in China. A number of events and circumstances present both SCB and conservation biology with new opportunities there. China not only is a large country, but has a highly distinctive fauna and flora across a broad range of ecosystem types. At the same time, China's growing wealth and linkages to the outside world present both opportunities and threats to the country's biological diversity and environment. The Olympic games this year have presented China with an unparalleled mechanism to attract visitors, business connections, and academic exchange. The timing of our 2009 annual meeting means that we can benefit from those experiences. And, of course, SCB's Asia section has the potential to provide a formal link to conservation biologists in China. The 2009 annual meeting can be a touchstone for many new collaborations between conservation professionals in China and other countries, and there is much that we can learn from each other. During a recent visit to Beijing I was impressed with the number and enthusiasm of young conservation biologists that I met -- the Chinese conservation community definitely is eager for our visit. We all look forward to making the 2009 annual meeting in Beijing a special and memorable SCB event.

Georgina Mace, President, SCB

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