FYI...Stefanie ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- (sorry for any cross-postings) THE FIRST SYMPOSIUM ON MARINE CONSERVATION BIOLOGY KICKS-OFF NEW SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE After the successful completion of the first Symposium on Marine Conservation Biology, I'd like to share some observations for those who couldn't attend what one participant called "the Woodstock" of marine conservation biology. Held at the Society for Conservation Biology's Annual Meeting at the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia, June 4-6, and organized by Elliott Norse, President of Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI), this Symposium represented the largest gathering of scientific presentations on marine conservation biology ever assembled. Among the presenters and 1000-plus attendees from at least 30 nations were premier marine scientists including Bob Paine, Paul Dayton, John Ogden, Steve Palumbi, Tundi Agardy, Jon Lien, Jeff Levinton, Dick Strathmann, Stuart Pimm and other stars of marine sciences. A round of applause is in order for the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) for recognizing the need to expand conservation biology research into the marine realm, and strengthening its commitment to making marine conservation a significant part of its focus (including its heightened interest in publishing manuscripts on marine topics in its superb journal Conservation Biology). Although this meeting served as the inaugural event for the new discipline of marine conservation biology, the hundreds of papers presented demonstrate that marine conservation biologists have already been looking at crucial marine conservation questions ranging from the value of marine protected areas to the impacts of harmful algal blooms. While previous SCB annual meetings have held only two sessions of talks on marine species and ecosystems, this meeting had 44 marine sessions on a wide range of marine topics, among them alien species, declining fisheries, conservation of coral reefs and coastal ecosystems, conservation of cetaceans, and genetics and conservation of marine organisms. The meeting began with a stirring Keynote call to action by marine ecologist Jane Lubchenco and ended with a sobering Plenary by marine paleoecologist Jeremy Jackson. Two central themes emerged from all of the presentations, panel discussions, speeches, and conversations. The first is that fishing is the greatest threat to marine ecosystems today. The second is the need for a dramatic increase in the number and effectiveness of marine protected areas - including more areas with no take zones to allow populations and habitats to recover from fishing pressures. This seems consistent with recent calls by Jane Lubchenco, Past President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and others, that 20% of the world's marine waters be included in marine reserves by the year 2020 -- a bold figure politically, given the minuscule percent of the sea currently protected and the weakness of many protections in these areas. Still, there were many marine conservation biologists claiming that this would not be enough if we want to sustain fisheries and protect marine biodiversity. To express their concern about the decline of marine ecosystems and the urgent need for citizen and government action to conserve them, over 400 scientists signed onto "Troubled Waters: A Call for Action" which will be released to the media after more have had a chance to sign on. MCBI urges all concerned scientists to read this statement and sign on by contacting me <Aaron Tinker> at MCBI's Redmond WA office via email at <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. The statement will be appearing on this listserver, and also can be read at MCBI's web page (http://www.mcbi.org). ****************************************************************************** Aaron Tinker * MCBI is a nonprofit, tax-exempt Program Assistant * organization dedicated to Marine Conservation Biology Institute * advancing the science of marine 15806 NE 47th Court * conservation biology. To learn Redmond, WA 98052-5208 USA * more, please visit our World 1 (206) 883-8914 (office) 883-3017 (fax)* Wide Web site at: 1 (206) 632-4849 (home) * http://www.mcbi.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] * ************************************ Stefanie S. Rixecker Department of Resource Management Lincoln University, Canterbury Aotearoa New Zealand E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************
