Previous conference - Workshop outlines
There were nine workshops on Tuesday 24 March at 14.00 to 15.30 and after the Poster Session at 18.45 to 20.15 on Wednesday 25 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: Planning a conservation research programme
Workshop C: Use of evidence-based conservation
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: Economics as a tool for conservation? Really?
Workshop H:Communicating your science: beyond peer-reviewed papers
Workshop I: Making conservation relevant: communicating with policy makers
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: Planning a conservation research programme
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 C: Use of evidence-based conservation
William J. Sutherland, Rob Pople, David Showler, Rebecca SmithConservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK
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 D: Raising funds for your conservation project
Dr Rosie Trevelyan
Tropical Biology Association, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK
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.
Dr Martin Fisher
Editor of Oryx,
Fauna &smp; 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: Economics as a tool for conservation? Really?
Brendan Fisher
Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment
University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
In a world of global environmental change we are faced with several interrelated challenges for ecological sustainability. Increasingly it is recognized that these challenges are not going to be solved by conservation and natural scientists alone, but rather by coordination amongst natural scientists, social scientists and political institutions with input provided by all concerned stakeholders.
In this workshop we will look at the nature of ecosystem services as public goods (e.g biodiversity, carbon sequestration, maintenance of natural stocks) and how this characteristic affects their distribution and allocation. We will play a few economic games to better understand human and societal decision-making and use these to demonstrate conservation coordination problems, free-riding, and the pitfalls in governing public goods. In this workshop you will learn how to use few basic economic concepts and tools in order to help inform conservation-development decisions regarding the provision of public goods.
Workshop H:Communicating your science: beyond peer-reviewed papers
John Hopkins
Natural England
Only a very small proportion of the population read the peer-reviewed literature. This includes most practicing conservations, who rarely have access to scientific libraries. In this workshop we will talk about audiences we might want to reach, why and how. In small groups we will look at a range of largely print-based pieces of communication, analyse their target audience, whether they are likely to have got their message across and if so how?
Workshop I: Making conservation relevant: communicating with policy makers
Jonathan Baillie
Zoological Society of London, UK
From 1960 to the present the world population has doubled to more than 6 billion people and the global economy has increased sixfold. During this time-frame humans have changed the world's landscapes and ecosystems more than at any previous time in human history. One fourth of all birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles are now threatened and current extinction rates are 1000 times higher than background rates. We are now beginning to feel the impacts of climate change, consumption is rapidly increasing and by 2050 there will be an additional 3 billion people on the planet. This will result in an unprecedented assault on the earth's ecosystems with major consequences for the stability of our political, social, and economic systems. However, the conservation of ecosystems and the services they provide remains low on the national and international political agenda and little is being done to address the indirect drivers of ecosystem degradation, such as population growth and overconsumption. If ecosystems and the services they provide are really essential for our future survival, how can governments get way with allowing them to be destroyed or degraded. Perhaps we have a communication problem. This workshop focuses on how to effectively convey the urgency of conservation messages to local and international government.
