Previous conference - Workshop outlines
There were nine workshops on Tuesday 22 March at 14.00 to 15.30 and after the Poster Session at 18.45 to 20.15 on Wednesday 23 March. Some workshops were offered in one of these sessions and some in both, depending on availability and demand.
Workshop A: Practical Conservation Genetics
Workshop B: Use of evidence-based conservation
Workshop C: Planning a conservation research programme
Workshop D: Raising funds for your conservation project
Workshop E: An introduction to systematic conservation planning
Workshop F: How to write a scientific paper, or How to avoid Snoopy's problem...
Workshop G: Economic Analysis of Ecosystem Services
Workshop H: Good graphics, bad graphics
Workshop I: Working with spacial data: How to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in your research
Workshop A: Practical Conservation Genetics
Bill Amos
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge
The role of genetics in conservation is often misunderstood. Some seem to believe genetic analysis is close to magic, while others take the view that gathering genetic data is an expensive waste of effort. Equally, some see genetics as playing a central role in dictating the health of a population, while others feel it is less important. This workshop aims to give an overview as to what can and cannot be done using current methods. It will also explore some of the key areas of misunderstanding. Although the primary presentation will be in the form of a lecture, I hope people will bring along their own questions that can be discussed in an open forum.
Workshop B: Use of evidence-based conservation (session 1 only)
William J. Sutherland, Lynn Dicks, Steph Prior, David Showler, David Williams
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge
Evidence-based conservation provides a mean of evaluating, reviewing and disseminating global information to improve conservation practice. In this workshop we will describe the principles of evidence-based conservation, how it can be used to improve practice and how you can participate.
Workshop C: Planning a conservation research programme (session 2 only)
William J. Sutherland
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge
Some conservation research programmes are unsuccessful due to unpredictable circumstances such as illness, unusual weather or unforeseeable political problems. Many others could never be successful as they were poorly planned. A small amount of sensible planning can make considerable differences. In this workshop we will use a series of exercises to demonstrate a process called reverse planning.
Workshop D: Raising funds for your conservation project (session 1 only)
Dr Rosie Trevelyan
Tropical Biology Association, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge
Getting money for your project can be a matter of being in the right place at the right time. This workshop assumes you are not. Why is it that everyone you meet seems to have a grant and you do not? I will outline how to write a grant proposal, giving examples of good practice and bad practice and some tips on what referees like and dislike. We will also look at fund-raising strategies. Finally, we will put theory into practice by trying out some of the techniques introduced to-day.
Workshop E: An introduction to systematic conservation planning
Bob Smith
Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
Systematic conservation planning is the most effective way to design protected area systems and other conservation networks, and these techniques are used by a large number of national conservation agencies and international NGOs. This approach is also a successful example of the inter-disciplinary nature of conservation science and provides important opportunities for further research. This workshop will start with a brief introduction to the subject, and will be followed by a group exercise that illustrates some of the important issues in conservation planning. The exercise is based on a case study, and participants will investigate how to produce a cost-effective planning system that is both useful and scientifically defensible.
Workshop F: How to write a scientific paper, or How to avoid Snoopy's problem...
Martin Fisher
Editor of Oryx, Fauna & Flora International, Cambridge
Would you like this to be you? Are you determined that your first scientific paper will be rejected (so many are!)? Attend this workshop to find out how to ensure that this happens... or perhaps even how to avoid it...
Common pitfalls, glaringly obvious errors, verbosity - all these and more easy strategies to ensure that you receive your first rejection slip will be covered in painful detail...
It's the final year of your PhD, you've finally gathered some data, and you are going to be famous... well, at least you plan to write your first scientific paper... Do yourself a favour, do the Editor a favour, attend this workshop!
Workshop G: Economic Analysis of Ecosystem Services (Session 1 only)
Ian Bateman
Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
The workshop will provide an overview of the application of economic analysis techniques to ecosystem service assessments with specific reference to the ongoing UK National Ecosystem Assessment. In discussing the methodology being used for this undertaking the talk will consider recent work on the incorporation of issues such as spatial variation within such analyses and given examples of how competing land uses and the issue of knock-on and feedback effects might be tackled. The workshop will also tackle the issue of valuation and its limits by considering an application to biodiversity.
Workshop H: Good graphics, Bad graphics
Tim Sparks
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge Institute of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences Department of Ecoclimatology, Technical University of Munich
Getting a message across quickly and clearly is important when transferring knowledge from conservation science to fellow professionals, policy makers and the general public. The human brain is capable of processing a huge amount of information, if it can recognise the context of that information. A good graph should allow the viewer to rapidly digest the information it contains, and a well constructed and complete figure legend can help enormously. A graph should take up less space than the equivalent text or tabular information. But information should not be repeated. Disappointingly, we continue to see some appalling examples of graphs in published material, particularly in the press. In this workshop I will discuss some of the dos and donts of creating graphics. I may be biased towards showing the bad graphics, including even those submitted for publication, to emphasise what not to do.
Workshop I: Working with spatial data: How to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in your research
Ian Elliott
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Exeter
All conservation data have a spatial element, but often researchers do not make full use of the tools and techniques that are available for processing geographic data. In this workshop we will explore powerful GIS software that is available free of charge, as well as discussing some of the more expensive alternatives. We'll cover the fundamentals that you need to understand when working with map and survey data. Finally we will explore sources of geographic data, including the availability of satellite and aerial imagery as well as the best techniques for acquiring our own GIS data through ground surveys and techniques for remote sensing.
