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2010 ICCB: 3-7 July, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR SYMPOSIA, WORKSHOPS, DISCUSSION GROUPS AND SHORT COURSES

The 2010 International Congress for Conservation Biology: Conservation for a Changing Planet will be held from 3-7 July in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Proposals for symposia, workshops, discussion groups and short courses will be welcomed beginning 12 August 2009.

All proposals must be submitted by 14 October 2009. Decisions will be made by 25 November 2009. Complete instructions for submitting proposals are available on the meeting Web site - www.conbio.org/2010. The selection process is highly competitive because time available for presentations at the meeting is limited. Please review the information below carefully prior to making your submission.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

We encourage proposals from individuals or groups involved in cutting-edge conservation science or practice who can demonstrate an alignment with the goals of SCB, which are:

Conservation Science: The scientific research and knowledge needed to understand and conserve biological diversity is identified, funded, completed, disseminated and applied to research, management and policy.

Conservation Management: Conservation practitioners and managers are provided the scientific information and recommendations needed to conserve biological diversity at all scales.

Policy: Policy decisions of major international conventions, governments, organizations and foundations are effectively informed and improved by the highest quality scientific counsel, analysis and recommendations so as to advance the conservation of biological diversity.

Education: Education, training and capacity-building programs are identified, strengthened and developed to inform the public and education leaders, and support current and future generations of conservation scientists and practitioners.

Limits on number of presentations per presenter: Individuals may not submit more than one proposal and, as a general rule, no individual may give more than one presentation in the following categories: symposium, contributed paper (regular or speed) or contributed poster.

Reviews
Reviewers have access to all information contained in the proposal. Proposals are reviewed by at least two reviewers. To increase the probability that your proposal will be selected for presentation, please consider the following criteria carefully: 

- Scientific merit of the proposal / cutting-edge conservation science and quality of science
- Application to conservation / clear connection to conservation science, policy, management, practice
- Financial support for speaker attendance at the meeting (external support or self-funded participants)
- Relevance to the meeting theme
- Relevance to the host region
- Novelty of the topic (not covered at the past three SCB International Congresses)

Author registration rule: In order to be included in the program of the 2010 ICCB all organizers of accepted proposals and their invited speakers and attendees must be registered and paid in full by the early deadline of 6 April 2010.  Authors failing to comply with this rule will not be included in the congress program.

Financial support: It is the responsibility of organizers of symposia, workshops and discussion groups to obtain funding for their own expenses and those of their invited speakers or invited participants. SCB and the Steering Committee are not responsible for obtaining funds to support speaker travel to the meeting, and cannot guarantee that any support will be available. Preference may be given to proposals for which organizers can demonstrate that funds are likely to be available.

CHOOSING THE CATEGORY OF YOUR PROPOSAL

Please think carefully about the category that best meets your goals. Your proposal will only be considered for the category you choose.

If your proposal is accepted, all symposium speakers will be required to submit an abstract during the call for abstracts; please coordinate with your authors, according to the call for abstracts deadlines. Instructions on how to submit will be provided in the notice of acceptance of your symposium proposal. It is the responsibility of the symposium organizer to make sure that all speakers submit their abstract and register according to the author registration rule.

Workshops, whether geared toward students or professionals, are more interactive than symposia and often have an educational component. To minimize conflict with symposia and contributed paper sessions, workshops will be scheduled as pre-congress activities (longer than 1.5 hours) or during lunch breaks.

Discussion groups are participatory and may be relatively informal. To minimize conflict with symposia and contributed paper sessions, discussion groups will be scheduled as pre-congress activities (longer than 1.5 hours) or during lunch breaks.

Short courses offer training in topics of key relevance to the practice of conservation for students or any other professionals. Preference will be given to proposals that address tools or concepts that course participants can easily share with others.  Short courses will be scheduled as pre-congress activities to minimize conflicts with symposia or contributed paper sessions.

Pre-congress activities dates will be 30 June to July 3 2010.  Contact the 2010 Conference Management Coordinator (2010@conbio.org) if more time is required.

MEETING THEME

Conservation for a Changing Planet

Humans are causing large changes to the ecology of the earth. Industrial development and agriculture are changing landscapes. Carbon emissions to the atmosphere are changing climates. Nowhere on earth are changes to climate having more drastic effects on ecosystems and human cultures than in the north.

Circumpolar caribou and reindeer populations are declining with huge consequences for indigenous peoples of the north, motivating our use of caribou in the conference logo.

Developing conservation strategies to cope with our changing planet is arguably the greatest challenge facing today’s world and its biodiversity

SYMPOSIUM PROPOSALS

SCB will accept proposals for two-hour (up to eight presentations) or four-hour (up to 16 presentations) symposia.

Presentation length must be in multiples of 15 minutes (e.g. 15 minutes or 30 minutes) so that the timing of symposium presentations can be coordinated with contributed paper sessions. The last 15 minutes of the symposium may be left open for discussion, thereby reducing the number of presentations by one. The total length of the proposal must not exceed 1,200 words. The description of the theme and justification must not exceed 230 words, and will be published as submitted in the program. Proposals must contain the following information:

  1. Symposium title
  2. Length (two or four hours)
  3. Proposed theme and justification (why the topic is appropriate and significant for presentation at Conservation for a Changing Planet)
  4. Expected outcomes and, if appropriate, plans for communication of results
  5. Whether any necessary funding for organizer and speaker expenses has been secured (for example, are funds available for speaker travel?)
  6. A tentative list of speakers, presentation titles and listing of whether each speaker has agreed to participate
  7. Organizer(s) name, affiliation and complete contact information, including email address

 

If your proposal is accepted, all symposium speakers will be required to submit an abstract during the call for abstracts; please coordinate with your authors, according to the call for abstracts deadlines. Instructions on how to submit will be provided in the notice of acceptance of your symposium proposal. It is the responsibility of the symposium organizer to make sure that all speakers submit their abstract and register according to the author registration rule.

WORKSHOPS AND DISCUSSION GROUPS

Workshops and discussion groups will be scheduled as pre- congress activities (longer than 1.5 hours) or during lunch breaks.

The total length of the proposal must not exceed 1,200 words. The description of the theme and justification must not exceed 230 words and will be published as submitted in the program. Proposals must contain the following information:

  1. Workshop or discussion-group title (specify whether workshop or discussion group)
  2. Maximum number of participants that can be accommodated
  3. Length and preferred position in program (pre-meeting or lunch). Pre-meeting workshops and discussions may be proposed for a maximum of eight hours. Lunch sessions may be proposed for a maximum of 1.5 hours.
  4. Format of workshop or discussion and any special logistic requirements (e.g. a room with internet access)
  5. Proposed theme and justification (why the topic is appropriate and significant for Conservation for a Changing Planet)
  6. Expected outcomes and, if appropriate, plans for communication of results
  7. Method of selecting participants (invited, open registration or a combination). If any participants will be invited, include a tentative list of individuals and indicate whether each has agreed to participate.
  8. A tentative list of speakers, presentation titles and listing of whether each speaker has agreed to participate
  9. Organizer(s) name, affiliation and complete contact information, including email address

 

SHORT COURSES

Short courses will be scheduled as pre-congress activities to minimize conflicts with symposia or contributed paper sessions (scheduling as per logistics and travel constraints, but dates finalized on course acceptance). Short courses should be aimed at development of professional skills in topics of key relevance to the practice of conservation.

The total length of the proposal must not exceed 1,200 words. The description of the course’s content and relationship to the meeting theme and SCB goals must not exceed 230 words and will be published as submitted in the program. Proposals must contain the following information:

  1. Short course title
  2. Whether any special instructional or audio-visual equipment beyond that which the instructor(s) will provide is needed
  3. Description of the course content and explanation of how it relates to the meeting theme and the goals of SCB (theme and justification)
  4. Expected outcomes
  5. Itemized budget for the short course (in $US) and a description of any funds available to cover costs. Note:  internet access may not be free. Please describe space requirements. SCB is unable to provide a stipend for the instructor(s), however, free meeting registration will be provided for a maximum of two instructors per course.
  6. Length of the course: one or more days, with dates proposed
  7. Minimum and maximum number of students that can be accommodated
  8. Instructor(s) name, affiliation, and complete contact information, including email address

HOW TO SUBMIT

To submit a proposal according to the call instructions and requirements, please click: SUBMIT