|
|||||||||
| You are here: Home > Publications > Newsletter > Archives > 2008-8-August > | ||||||||||||||||||
UPDATES FROM REGIONAL SECTIONS AND WORKING GROUPS
AUSTRALASIAThe ninth New Guinea Biological Conference was held in Jayapura at the University of Cenderawashi from 24-26 July. Their theme, Natural Resources Protection for Sustainability of New Guinea, attracted experts in biology, representatives of government, and local people. Student Prizes We are pleased to announce two winners of the SCB-sponsored "best student conservation" talks. The awards include a two-year membership to SCB, with online subscription to Conservation Biology, Biological Conservation, and to Conservation magazine, and a one-year subscription to Pacific Conservation Biology. Thanks to SCB and Surrey Beatty Publishing for providing these prizes. Rijal Idrus (University of Canterbury) received an award for his presentation on the effects of human activities of Indonesian coral reefs at the combined meeting of the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society and the Australian Marine Sciences Association. The meeting was held in Christchurch, New Zealand from 7-10 July 2008. Abstract. Despite efforts to eliminate destructive fishing and improve coral reef management, the state of coral reefs in Indonesia remains under threat from anthropogenic disturbances and is continuously deteriorating. As in many developing countries, Indonesian coastal communities are often resource rich but income poor. With these paradoxes as a backdrop, this study examines why coastal resources are being continuously degraded, and apparently by the people whose livelihoods depend on them. Fieldwork was conducted in 11 Sulawesi coastal communities. The dynamic of coral reefs destruction in study sites is a classic example of the "tragedy of the commons." Field evidences reveal that an array of competing demands and conflicting interests, coupled with inefficient institutional arrangements, have rendered inadequate many resource management institutions and efforts, allowing destructive patterns of resource utilization to persist. Local communities are disempowered when confronted with the intricate network of destructive-fishing actors targeting coral reefs. This collusive network must be considered in any effort to achieve an effective management. Study findings also suggest that when a coastal community manages to overcome dilemma in common-pool resource utilisation, conservation measures can be implemented and a degree of resource sustainability attained. The outcomes of this research provide insight into the dynamic couplings of human and natural aspects of coastal resources systems and, as such, can help improve the decision making process and policies affecting coastal communities in
Tarnya Cox (University of Queensland) received an award at the Australasian Vertebrate Pest Management Conference (held in Darwin, 10-13 June) for her presentation Carnivore odours as repellents: an effective pest management tool? Abstract. Research into the use of carnivore faecal-odour based repellents as a pest management tool has increased over the last 30 years; however there are many unanswered questions regarding their efficacy, particularly in an Australian context. We evaluated carnivore faecal odours as a repellent for Australian rangeland pest species on 20 goats to determine their effectiveness as feeding deterrents. Faecal odours from tigers and Tasmanian devils fed on two different diets were evaluated. Tiger faecal odour was more effective than Tasmanian devil faecal odour (P < 0.05) however the odours, from the tigers and Tasmanian devils fed the different diets were not significantly different (P > 0.05) in their repellence of goats from feed. Animals exhibited signs of habituation to the faecal odours over the experimental period (36 days) and a gradual change in their behaviour as they approached feed troughs was observed. The results indicate that the use of carnivore faecal odours as feeding deterrents for
Introducing the Great Western Woodlands A recent peer-reviewed report highlighted the significance of a largely unknown ecosystem -- the Great Western Woodlands of southern Western Australia. At 16 million ha, the area is by far the largest intact temperate woodland and heathland ecosystem in the world. More than twenty ecological experts contributed to the report. The report documents that more than 3000 species of plants have been recorded within the region to date. This concentration of species richness is on par with Western Australia's spectacularly diverse southwest forests and heathlands. The region also contains hundreds of animal species including the elusive scarlet-chested parrot and the endemic Lake Cronin snake. The report notes that the region is almost entirely unprotected and urges the Western Australian government to upgrade tenure arrangements to enhance and protect both conservation and Indigenous values while allowing for appropriately regulated economic activities (such as mining). To find out more about the Great Western Woodlands, download The Extraordinary Nature of the Great Western Woodlands from www.gww.net.au. James Watson Report from the Past President I recently attended my last meeting of SCB's Board of Governors in Tennessee. Chattanooga is located close to the two most biologically diverse river basins in the United States. I was surprised to learn that the region is inhabited by approximately 600 species of freshwater fish, 92% of the world's freshwater mussels present, and a significant proportion of the world's salamander species. I would highly recommend visiting the aquarium in Chattanooga. I was glad that James Watson, our incoming President, was in attendance. I recommend that all Presidents Elect attend a board meeting before leading our Section. Approximately 30 members of our Section attended the 2008 annual meeting. Several key issues were raised by our Section during the 2008 annual meeting. 1. Balancing global and regional meetings. SCB's Board of Governors still struggles to address tradeoffs among meeting locations and timing of meetings, including potential real or perceived conflicts between global and Section meetings held in the same year. The 2011 SCB annual (global) meeting will be held in our region. We have approached Landcare Research and Auckland University to gauge their interest
2. Who will host the 2009 Australasia meeting? Tasmania and Perth have been proposed as possible locations. We hope to receive replies before 1 September. Please let us know if any other potential hosts would like to explore the possibilities. Our last regional meeting in Sydney attracted almost 370 participants and was highly successful. 3. Listing of Pacific Conservation Biology on the ISI Web of Knowledge. Please support Harry Recher and Ivor Beatty in the process of listing the journal. Our board and the journal's editors are disturbed by a recent policy of the Australian Research Council, which tries to measure the quality of publications by university researchers. This process strongly influences where academics submit their work. To find out more about the ISI issue and the Australian Research Council's policy please contact Harry Recher. We are pleased that Pacific Conservation Biology is becoming fully electronic and we hope that back issues ultimately will be scanned and made available on the journal's Web site. 4. Possibly changing the name of our Section. Australasia does not fully reflect our region, which includes the Pacific Islands from Palau to Hawai'i, French Polynesia, New Zealand, and Australia. This question has been raised several times in the past, and James Watson is keen to pursue it. Craig Morley
MARINESeven members of the Marine Section's board attended SCB's 2008 annual meeting. This provided an excellent opportunity for further planning the Section's upcoming meeting, the International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC). The board was enthusiastic about the outstanding marine content at the 2008 annual meeting and the fact that two of the plenary presentations were marine focused. During the meeting the Marine Section held a successful social at the Tennessee Aquarium in collaboration with the Freshwater Working Group. The IMCC program committee has completed the first round of reviews for symposia and workshops. An exciting scientific program is taking shape. The call for oral presentations and posters will open on 1 September 2008. Submissions from outside the United States and submissions on governance, globalization and poverty, and fisheries and aquaculture are particularly encouraged. The IMCC program committee and the Marine Section board are further focusing on maximizing the policy content and impact of the IMCC. Because the meeting will occur in the Washington, D.C. area, there is considerable opportunity for informing and influencing domestic and global marine conservation policy. By interacting with SCB's policy program and local organizations in Washington, D.C., we are working to arrange meetings with politicians and policy makers and to encourage their participation in the meeting. We are well aware that the meeting will take place immediately after the first 100 days of the next U.S. administration. We encourage SCB's marine community to submit ideas for enhancing the policy component of the IMCC by contacting the program committee, IMCCprogram@
Plans are under development to hold the opening of the IMCC at the Smithsonian Institution in collaboration with Nancy Knowlton and Jeremy Jackson. The event will include a portion that is open to the public as well as a presentation by Daniel Pauly. The IMCC fundraising prospectus is now complete and available for download (http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/imcc/sponsors.cfml). The IMCC fundraising committee is actively seeking sponsors and exhibitors so please spread the word. We encourage the SCB community to get involved in the IMCC and hope the community will help to make this the most important marine conservation meeting to date. Phaedra Doukakis
NORTH AMERICASCB's North America Section is developing an ambitious yet realistic program of activities based on the priority areas of SCB's 2006-2010 Strategic Plan. As illustrated on page 6, we continue to provide scientific peer review of key agency documents that influence the conservation and management of species and ecosystems, including but not limited to proposals to list species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, recovery plans, and ecosystem management plans. We are working closely with SCB's policy director and other professional societies to minimize political interference with science that affects management of lands and waters in North America and elsewhere. We also are working to ensure that employees of government agencies are able to participate fully in the activities and governance of SCB. Steve Trombulak and Mike O'Connell have agreed to oversee our portfolio of policy activities. Both Steve and Mike previously served on SCB's Board of Governors. Steve is Past President of the Section, and Mike previously chaired SCB's Policy Committee. During the next year, President Elect Dominick DellaSala will lead development of a blueprint -- a strategic plan and work plan -- for conservation in the United States and Canada. In addition, we are working with the Union of Concerned Scientists and other professional societies to development of a strategy for restoring scientific integrity to federal government agencies in the United States during the first 100 days of the new administration. Marty Main is leading a collaborative effort with several of SCB's local chapters to develop material for presentations on conservation biology that can be used in educational outreach. The Section will be supporting the scientific and logistic aspects of SCB's 2010 global meeting in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in a number of ways. In partnership with the Social Science Working Group, we have begun to facilitate a dialogue, work plan, and activities to increase understanding of and support for conservation professionals in Canada. We also will be supporting a regional meeting that will be convened by the Colorado Plateau Chapter and other local chapters in autumn 2009. Our Section often is challenged to simultaneously serve members within our region and remain a full and supportive partner in SCB's continuing efforts to serve the global community of conservation professionals. This challenge has conceptual, financial, and logistic aspects that I hope we largely will be able to resolve during the next two years. Please help your board balance regional and global interests by staying in touch and becoming more engaged with your local chapter, the Section, or the activities of SCB as a whole. The board welcomes your comments and suggestions. Erica Fleishman
FRESHWATER WORKING GROUPEvents at the 2008 Annual Meeting Our field trip to the Duck River highlighted the diverse freshwater fauna of the Appalachian Mountains. In coordination with the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society, we were delighted to host 60 participants from Australia, Germany, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We saw at least 17 species of mussels and 22 species of fish -- only a glimpse of the total species richness of the site, but enough to understand why this river is a global treasure for freshwater biodiversity. To see photographs from the trip, visit http://duckriverfieldtrip.site.shutterfly.com/. The Freshwater Working Group also coordinated a social at the Tennessee Aquarium in conjunction with the Marine Section, Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society, and SCB. This event was well-attended and gave many SCB members a chance to network while seeing the freshwater fauna of the region. Special thanks to Anna George and the Tennessee Aquarium for their assistance with this event. Our symposium "Advances in Freshwater Conservation Planning" was an important contribution to the 2008 annual meeting. The 14 presentations in this session addressed freshwater conservation from theoretical and applied perspectives. A major theme of the symposium was that new thinking about freshwater connectivity can improve freshwater conservation planning, but integrating freshwater and terrestrial conservation presents considerable challenges. Thanks go to all of the presenters for making the symposium a success. SCB's Board of Governors voted unanimously to reauthorize the Freshwater Working Group for the next three years. Strategic Planning Process The working group's board held a conference call on 19 May to initiate our strategic planning process. A draft plan should be ready in the near future. Thanks to all who have contributed to the process. The 100 Global Questions Project As described in the May 2008 newsletter (page 8), representatives of SCB's Sections and working groups are participating in a workshop, funded by the United Kingdom Natural Environment Research Council and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to identify global questions in conservation of key importance to policy and practice. Ken Vance-Borland, President of the working group, is spearheading group members' participation in the project. At the 2008 members' meeting, we learned more about the effort and developed approximately a dozen questions related to freshwater conservation and policy.
Ken Vance-Borland, chair of our Program, Nominations, and Audit Committee, will take the lead in organizing Freshwater Working Group activities for SCB's 2009 annual meeting in Beijing. Ken welcomes help, particularly from our Asian members. Members are invited to propose activities such as field trips and short courses for the 2009 meeting.
FreshWater ListJoin the FreshWater email list at http://list.conbio.org/mailman/listinfo/freshwater/. The traffic is low, and the postings about freshwater conservation issues, publications, jobs, resources, and more are diverse and informative. Than Hitt and Aventino Kasangaki
SOCIAL SCIENCE WORKING GROUP
Five Successful Years!The Social Science Working Group celebrated its fifth anniversary this July. To mark the occasion the working group organized a range of activities, including a diverse program at SCB's 2008 annual meeting and a multi-step strategic review process. The board also welcomed several new members. In this time of reflection and change, the working group looks to chart a path forward for the next five years.
Strategic ReviewThe working group's board has initiated a strategic review process designed to assess the group's progress from its founding in 2003 through the 2008 annual meeting and to develop a strategic plan for the next five years. This process includes three primary activities, described below. Formative Research and Member Survey As a first step in the strategic review process, the working group sought to investigate how our members relate to and think about the group's work and to solicit input for future directions. Lynne Doner Lotenberg (http://lotenberg.com/), a prominent social marketing expert, conducted this work. Based on 21 exploratory interviews with randomly selected working group members in the United States, Canada, and South Africa, she developed a Web-based survey instrument for the group's membership. The survey response rate exceeded 40% in the first ten days. Initial results confirm the need and appreciation for information about the contribution that social sciences make to conservation, as well as a desire for more connections with other conservationists facing social science related problems. The majority of our members are quite satisfied with the group's accomplishments. However, the high degree of unfamiliarity of our members with a variety of working group offerings, and the limited use of our Web site, indicate that some of the resources and activities of the working group remain undiscovered and that a more proactive communication and outreach approach is needed. The working group's listserv is the most active tool for communication, although more interaction would be appealing. Short, practical case studies of conservation successes and failures are considered especially desirable, as are summaries of social science research articles. The membership expressed a clear interest in interdisciplinary or social science workshops. The majority of respondents perceive that the working group is maintaining a good balance between research and practice. The survey results indicate that the membership is composed equally of professionals trained in the natural sciences and social sciences, with a majority self-described as researchers. The formative research has provided the working group's board with valuable insights into the membership's perspectives, views, and needs. The board is grateful for the time and effort members have taken to make their voices heard and plans to integrate this feedback into a strategic plan for moving forward. Program Review As the second step in the strategic review process, David Bray (Department of Environmental Studies, Florida International University) conducted a program review of the working group's activities and operations over the past five years. The program review documented the working group's successes and shortcomings, identified lessons learned, and highlighted emerging opportunities. It also assessed progress toward our stated goals and overall impact to date within SCB and the broader conservation community. The review concluded that the Social Science Working Group "truly represents a historic achievement" in its endeavor to fuse social and biological sciences in the service of conservation. The working group was found to be the first sustained effort to integrate social scientists into a professional association of biologists and was lauded for its contribution to SCB and the broader interdisciplinary field. The review also highlighted upcoming challenges for the working group. Intellectual challenges included navigating more controversial issues while providing tools and resources for communities of practitioners and policy makers. Some organizational challenges identified were the time commitment required to serve on the board, variable performance of board committees, leadership transition, and financing. The report was presented at the working group's members' meeting at the 2008 annual meeting and provided important input into the board retreat. It will soon be available on the Social Science Working Group's Web site, along with the results of the formative research and member survey. Board Retreat and Strategic Plan for the Next Five Years Building on the survey and program review, the current Social Science Working Group board held a retreat on 18-19 July to develop a strategic plan to guide the working group from 2008 to 2013. Jane Packard (Texas A&M University) facilitated the retreat. The retreat has energized the board and shaped the contours of a strategic plan. The board aims to finalize this plan by 30 October. This strategic review process marks an important stage in the life of the Social Science Working Group and we are grateful for input from so many people within the working group and the broader community that has made the process a success. We also gratefully acknowledge the support of The Christensen Fund and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. If you have any suggestions or questions about the strategic review process please contact Daniel Miller (dcmille@umich.edu).
Social Science Activities at the 2008 Annual MeetingThe 2008 annual meeting featured a variety of conservation social science activities. All five plenary speakers had social science backgrounds or extensive experience working at the nexus of natural and social sciences. Included among them was Diane Russell, a founding board member of the Social Science Working Group. Seven symposia, six workshops, one discussion group, and numerous oral presentations and posters emphasized the social aspects of conserving biological diversity. The working group was particularly pleased to sponsor a four-day short course on the role of the social sciences in conservation planning, which showcased the contributions of different social science disciplines and provided opportunities for participants to apply course concepts to "real world" conservation problems. A three-day short course on designing conservation behavior change programs also was featured at this year's meeting. In addition to these activities, the working group organized its annual members' meeting and a joint social with the Austral and Neotropical America Section. Both events were well attended and provided opportunities for expanding the network of people interested in conservation social science within the SCB community and beyond. The members' meeting also highlighted the working group's strategic review.
Welcome to New Board MembersThe Social Science Working Group had two excellent candidates for every open position in this year's election for new officers. Please welcome the following new board members, whose terms will run from July 2008 through SCB's 2010 annual meeting. Solange Bandiaky (member at large) is a native of Senegal. Solange received her Ph.D. in gender studies from Clark University (USA) and works as Africa Program Coordinator for the Rights and Resources Group. Annie Claus (member at large, student representative) recently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Yale University (USA) after working for the World Wildlife Fund in Washington, D.C. Murray Rudd (economics representative) is a native of Canada who recently served on the working group's program committee to help organize social science content at SCB's global meetings. Murray is a faculty member at Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada. Daniel Miller (political science representative) is enrolled in a Ph.D. program at the University of Michigan (USA) and is conducting his dissertation on conservation in Benin, West Africa. Dan has been serving as secretary for the working group and previously worked for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. To learn more or to become more involved in the activities of the working group, please visit www.conservationbiology.org/sswg or contact Dan Miller (dcmille@umich.edu). Bill Forbes, Daniel Miller, Angelika Wilhelm-Rechmann, Nejem Raheem, and Tara Teel
|
|
||
|
|
||
Copyright © 2010 Society for Conservation Biology (SCB)
Direct questions, comments, and technical problems to the webmaster SCB is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization |