Conservation Without Borders

As an organization, the Society for Conservation Biology is a vibrant example of the maxim "think globally, act locally." All too often, however, conservation efforts are impeded by boundaries including taxonomy, geography, politics, scientific discipline, and organizational affiliation. Identification of scientific and operational links across ecological and sociological borders--a primary objective of SCB's 2006 annual meeting--is likely to increase our success both as individuals and as a community. Simultaneously, the meeting will acknowledge the importance of local context for achieving conservation goals and drawing ecological inferences.

Conservation Without Borders will emphasize four major "threads." These are broad topic areas, not mutually exclusive, that will be addressed in their own right and also will be woven throughout the meeting program.

Local-level and regional-level conservation Many conservation challenges are addressed around the world but typically at relatively small scales, often using local knowledge. Examples include but are not limited to ecological restoration, management of non-native species, incentives for conservation by private landowners, and conservation in agricultural landscapes.

Marine and freshwater conservation Certain conservation issues are distinct to a given realm. Other issues are germane to both aquatic and terrestrial realms, but the conservation community has not fully explored ecological or sociological linkages. The 2006 annual meeting will examine both categories of issues. The Third International Symposium on Marine Conservation Biology will be a fully integrated component of Conservation Without Borders.

21st century conservation Is there a need to change major paradigms of conservation? Many conservation priorities and agendas were established in a world with fewer humans and different climatic and land-use patterns than today. The emergence of urban ecology illustrates a shift in conservation and management perspectives that may warrant greater attention. Conservation Without Borders will address management of lands and waters in the face of climate change, application of conservation science to decision-making, and improved communication within and beyond the conservation community.

Transboundary conservation Many organisms and ecological processes cross political borders and management jurisdictions. Can we study and conserve them more effectively? How can we direct management toward large-scale processes without excluding local ecological and human communities?