The Road to Recovery; Science to Secure Freshwater Mollusk Biodiversity
Session Organizer: Rachel Claire Muir

Description: The 2008 annual meeting has as its theme "From the Mountains to the Sea", which underscores the interconnections between terrestrial and freshwater aquatic ecosystems that are critical in understanding and managing ecosystems and conserving biological diversity.   Because of their intricate life histories, the recovery of freshwater mollusks illustrates the challenges posed in understanding interconnections among species, among the physical and biological components of ecosystems, and the interaction between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. For this reason, the science, monitoring and conservation management techniques used to recovery these species will have implications and applications to other fauna and ecosystems. 

The majority of North America's extant freshwater mollusk species are imperiled and science for their recovery and management is a salient need of the conservation community.  A forum to discuss the state of the science in regards to conservation genetics, life history requirements, and the ecological role of mollusks in freshwater ecosystems is urgently needed.  Finally, this year's SCB meeting will take place in the center of global freshwater molluscan biodiversity. A workshop on this topic is likely to be well received and attended by regional, national and international participants.