ICCB 2010 Short Courses
# |
Title |
Organizer |
Date assigned |
Time assigned |
SC 21 |
The role of the social sciences in conservation planning |
Tara Teel |
2 July |
9:00-5:00 |
SC 40 |
An overview of landscape genetic approaches for conservation biology |
Lisette Waits |
2 July |
8:00-5:30 |
SC 47 |
How Scientists and Other Professionals Can Participate in Assessing Options, Forming Policy, and Enforcing Conservation Law at Home and Internationally |
John Fitzgerald |
2 July |
9:00-5:00 |
SC 58 |
Methods for applying social science to understand conservation problems |
David Fulton |
3 July |
9:00-5:00 |
SC 70 |
Communications skills and engaging with communities - Part 1 Talking with people, delivering unpopular messages and working in & with communities |
Norine Ambrose |
8 July |
9:00-3:00 |
SC 18 |
Conservation landscapes: Adaptable GIS for ecologists and managers |
Charlene Nielsen |
8 July |
1:00-5:00 |
SC 69 |
Communications skills and engaging with communities - Part 2 Effective presentations |
Norine Ambrose |
9 July |
8:00-4:00 |
Listing is accurate as of March 8, 2010. Information is subject to change.
Short course descriptions
Friday, 2 July 2010
SC 21 Tara Teel - The role of the social sciences in conservation planningSuccessful biodiversity conservation efforts require understanding not only of the natural environment but of the needs, interests, and capacities of people. Recognition of this has resulted in greater attention to the social sciences within the conservation community. However, despite increased awareness of the importance of social considerations, conservation practitioners often lack the expertise necessary to assess “the human dimension” and to integrate this information effectively into conservation strategies. SCB’s Social Science Working Group (SSWG), a global community of more than 600 scientists and practitioners in 70 countries, works to respond to these challenges by providing training and resources that help practitioners better solve conservation problems through integration of social science approaches into their work. To assist with these efforts, we propose a course providing training in social science applications. This SSWG-sponsored event would build from the success of our recent experiences in South Africa, Tennessee, and China, where we offered courses at the 2007-2009 SCB meetings. Course intent is clearly aligned with the conference theme – it will build capacity in the social sciences which are essential to understanding and addressing the root causes of human-induced change to the ecology of the earth. The course also supports SCB’s goal of education in that it will provide professional development opportunities to help support current and future generations of conservation practitioners.
SC 40 Lisette Waits - An overview of landscape genetic approaches for conservation biology
Landscape genetics is an emerging discipline that combines population genetics, landscape ecology, and spatial statistics. Landscape genetics can be used to define meaningful management units, design effective conservation corridors, elucidate environmental influences on the spread of infectious diseases and invasive species, and evaluate the adaptive potential of populations in relation to climate change. Landscape genetic approaches can contribute greatly to conservation science, management, and policy-making and will be a critical planning tool for a changing planet. Despite the growing interest in landscape genetic approaches for conservation, the opportunities for training in landscape genetics are extremely limited. This makes it challenging for non-specialists to understand, interpret, and apply the vast multitude of landscape genetic approaches. The workshop will introduce participants to basic concepts of landscape genetics, with particular emphasis on applications in conservation biology. We will first summarize relevant concepts and principles of population genetics, landscape ecology, and spatial statistics. Then, we will present case studies that demonstrate landscape genetic approaches in conservation biology. Finally, we will highlight potential pitfalls and future research directions. Throughout the course, participants will gain experience in interpreting landscape genetic data by discussing results from published case studies in small groups.
SC 47 John Fitzgerald - How Scientists and Other Professionals Can Participate in Assessing Options, Forming Policy, and Enforcing Conservation Law at Home and Internationally
This short course will teach participants how to: 1) use the environmental impact assessment and informal rule-making processes; 2) work with legislators and committee staffs to oversee agencies, develop hearings, propose new legislation, track and comment on proposed budgets and appropriations (funding bills), and draft legislative and report language; and 3)participate in international meetings under conservation treaties and related bodies, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Saturday, 3 July 2010
SC 58 David Fulton - Methods for applying social science to understand conservation problems
Conservation practitioners are increasingly recognizing that social science information is needed. During the past 3 SCB meetings a course has been taught that provides an introduction to social science concepts and the application of these concepts to conservation planning. Practitioners participating in prior SCB conferences, however, have identified an additional need for training in social science methods beyond the existing course that would focus on basic social science research methods. The purpose of our course is to provide participants with basic knowledge and training in focus group and social survey methods. These methods will be presented as complementary approaches that can provide critical knowledge to practitioners in a rapid assessment process. The proposed course is intended to be a stand alone course that will provide students with the knowledge and skills to complete exploratory social science research. Our intention is to make this course more than an introductory academic facts course about survey research, rather the course is intended to give practitioners in the field a tool and skills that they can use. The course will match the conference theme of a changing planet by providing research tools for applying a social science perspective to understanding such change. The course will also provide a substantive professional development opportunity for beginning and mid-career conservation practitioners.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
SC 70 Norine Ambrose - Communications skills and engaging with communities - Part 1
Talking with people, delivering unpopular messages and working in & with communities
3 mini-workshops comprise this workshop: Talking with People- The art and science of interacting with people. In the country are landowners, perhaps on acreages or engaged in agriculture on private land. This land not only supports people and industries but ecological functions. Resource professionals who manage, plan or deliver extension interact with landowners. For many, this interaction causes anxiety. This workshop will avert some of this anxiety and allow you to successfully interact with people, one on one, establishing rapport and dealing with conflict. Delivering Unpopular Messages- Techniques for success. We’d like to deliver only popular messages, but we have many others we must present. Often, from unpopular messages, reactions of anger or disbelief are predictable. How do we better provide these messages? This workshop helps you anticipate responses, prepare messages and understand why people react negatively. Working in and with Communities- Approaches, motivations and impediments. Successful delivery of conservation programs depends on understanding communities and how to work in and with them. This workshop builds understanding and capacity to develop and deliver programs, based on the collective experience of Cows and Fish, an initiative with a successful track record working on riparian issues. How to engage a community; why work with communities; what if the community doesn’t want you; elements for success; and monitoring will be covered.
A species of special concern is potentially threatened by resource development in its habitat, or is it? How to apply current spatial modelling methods to help address such ecological questions is demonstrated. Hands-on guided exercises delve further in to the out-of-the box software functionality, work with custom open-source tools, and reveal a flexible workflow that may be tailored to many different taxa and ecosystems. The topics covered include landscape characterization (vegetation indices, satellite image classification, and change detection), management unit delineation (watersheds and home ranges), scenario modelling (shifting landscapes), temporal and proximity habitat analyses (date matching, cost paths, and network distances), and calculating the spatial map from regression-based equations (model calculation). While showcasing Alberta research examples, various effective strategies are shared for dealing with the numerous and/or large datasets associated with the pursuit of ecological investigations typical of conservationists worldwide. Note: Course participants are expected to be familiar with ArcGIS. In the spirit of conservation, all materials are provided electronically.
Friday, 9 July 2010
SC 69 Norine Ambrose - Communications skills and engaging with communities - Part 2Effective presentations
Workshop summary: This one day workshop is tailored for people in natural resource management who interact with the public, with the agricultural community, with industry, with conservation groups and other resource professionals. It is designed for individuals already engaged in extension or education activities, those who need to communicate more effectively, and those who wish to become more comfortable in presentation venues. Participants will leave the workshop with a greater skill set to develop and deliver presentations. The workshop is interactive and builds on the collective experience of the audience and the instructor, who has delivered hundreds of presentations and is a well recognized, skilled speaker.
• The purpose and value of presentations.
• Presentation anatomy
• Negotiating your way through an invitation to speak.
• What do you want them to remember?
• Substance without overwhelming them.
• Prompts, humour, voice and body communication.
• The set up- Calming yourself and rehearsal.
• Pitfalls to avoid. We strongly recommend that participants attend the follow up workshop, which deals with Talking with People, Delivering Unpopular Messages and Working in and with Communities
