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Sharing biodiversity data: EU BON recommended tools and practices published in RIO Journal

Due to the exponential growth of biodiversity information in recent years, the questions of how to mobilize such vast amounts of data has become more tangible than ever. Best practices for data sharing, data publishing, and involvement of scientific and citizen communities in data generation are the main topic of a recent report by the EU FP7 project Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network (EU BON), published in the innovative Research Ideas & Outcomes (RIO) journal.

The report "Data sharing tools for Biodiversity Observation Networks" provides conceptual and practical advice for implementation of the available data sharing and data publishing tools. A detailed description of tools, their pros and cons, is followed by recommendations on their deployment and enhancement to guide biodiversity data managers in their choices.

"We believe publishing this report in RIO makes a lot of sense given the journal's innovative concept of publishing unconventional research outcomes such as project reports. This feature provides projects like EU BON with the chance to showcase their results effectively and timely. The report provides a useful practical guide for biodiversity data managers and RIO gives the project an opportunity to share findings with anyone who will make use of such information", explains Prof. Lyubomir Penev, Managing Director of Pensoft and partner in EU BON.

The new report is the second EU BON contribution featured in a dedicated project outcomes collection in RIO. Together with the data policy recommendations it provides a comprehensive set of resources for the use of biodiversity data managers and users.

"We did our biodiversity data sharing tools comparison from the perspective of the needs of the biodiversity observation community with an eye on the development of a unified user interface to this data - the European Biodiversity Portal (EBP)", add the authors.

The scientists have identified two main challenges standing in front of the biodiversity data community. On the one hand, there is a variety of tools but none can as stand alone, satisfy all the requirements of the wide variety of data providers. On the other hand, gaps in data coverage and quality demand more effort in data mobilization.

"For the time being a combination of tools combined in a new work-flow, makes the most sense for EU BON to mobilize biodiversity data," comment the report authors on their findings. "There is more research to be done and tools to be developed, but for the future there is one firm conclusion and it is that the choice of tools should be defined by the needs of those observing biodiversity - the end user community in the broadest sense - from volunteer scientists to decision makers."

Original Source:

Smirnova L, Mergen P, Groom Q, De Wever A, Penev L, Stoev P, Pe'er I, Runnel V, Camacho A, Vincent T, Agosti D, Arvanitidis C, Bonet F, Saarenmaa H (2016) Data sharing tools adopted by the European Biodiversity Observation Network Project. Research Ideas and Outcomes 2: e9390. doi: 10.3897/rio.2.e9390





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EU BON workshop "Biodiversity research for and by citizens in Eastern Europe: tools, information services and public engagement"

The EU BON workshop "Biodiversity research for and by citizens in Eastern Europe: tools, information services and public engagement" was organized to present the EU BON citizen science gateway, share accomplishments of the project, promote products, raise and discuss challenges of citizen science and facilitate networking between countries, especially eastern and central European countries.

There were 33 participants from Baltic countries and Finland and EU BON partners from Norway, Spain, Israel and Brussels. First day was showcasing the citizen science initiatives in Estonia, following best practice examples from EU BON consortium. During the second day the participants got a chance to learn the tools and methods for citizen science data management by ECSA and EU BON. This was followed by world cafe style discussion about the needs of citizen science initiatives and Pan-European citizen science gateway. One of the important conclusions for Baltic countries is that there is a need for stronger collaboration and supportive infrastructure to make citizen science more effective and also deliver accessible data to research community.

Some workshop participants also took part of Tartu Mini-BioBlitz on 29th June, first BioBlitz in Estonia. BioBlitz participants observed 239 species of animals, plants and fungi .

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Workshop agenda

Read a first hand report form the workshop in the two great blog posts by Egle Marija Ramanauskaite (a workshop participant from Lithuania):

http://seplute.tumblr.com/post/146841955105/citsci-overtakes-the-baltics-citizen-science

http://seplute.tumblr.com/post/146844410470/citizen-science-workshop-in-tartu-recap-of-day-2





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Symposium: Nature and Governance – Biodiversity Data, Science, and the Policy Interface

The EU BON project which is coordinated by the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin/Germany has started on 1 December and will continue for 4.5 years. The EU BON Kickoff Meeting will be held in Berlin from 13 to 15 February 2013.
With respect to EU BON’s objectives the International Symposium "Nature and Governance – Biodiversity Data, Science, and the Policy Interface" will be held prior to the EU BON Kickoff Meeting from 11 to 12 February in Berlin with high-ranking speakers. You are most welcome to attend the Symposium.
The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is pleased to host this international symposium and will bring together high-ranking speakers and guests from worldwide to talk and discuss about these
Major Topics:
- What (data) policy needs
- The future of biodiversity information: new ways for generating, managing, and integrating biodiversity data
- How new approaches / models can link scales and disciplines
- Broadening the base and opening up: new ways to engage the public and stakeholders in biodiversity monitoring and assessments
- Résumé / conclusions
For more details, please have a look at the programme page.
The 1st day of the Symposium and the reception will be held "under the dinosaurs" in the central exhibition hall of the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin.
The 2nd day will be held in the Seminaris Conference Center in the quiet south-west of Berlin. The closing of the Symposium will be celebrated as "Come together & Ice-Breaker for EU BON Kickoff Meeting" in the nearby beautiful Large Green House of the Botanic Garden Berlin.
If you want to take part, please register at the registration page.

 





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International Congress for Conservation Biology 2013

The biennial International Congress for Conservation Biology is recognized as the most important global meeting for conservation professionals and students. The congress features a dynamic scientific program with more than 100 cutting edge symposia, workshops, posters, and focus groups; countless networking opportunities, fantastic field trips, and world-renowned speakers.
The 26th ICCB takes place in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.  Chesapeake Bay is the world's most productive estuary and the region is rich in cultural and historical heritage and conservation challenges and success stories.
Event web page: ICCB 2013





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20th International Conference of Environmental Indicators

Indicators in Environmental Monitoring: Standardization, Assessment and Policy
16 September - 19 September 2013, Trier University, Campus II, Trier, Germany
The high diversity of methods and practices currently used to collect and evaluate environmental data reduces significantly comparisons of results and observations. This international conference of Environmental Indicators will contribute to a harmonization of standards to optimize diagnoses and to improve acceptance.
The use of indicators to monitor our environment and to inform and diagnose environmental hazards and their impacts remains a challenge. Standardization of these monitoring efforts is of great importance in order to get reliable data for an accurate assessment of the current state of the environment and to thus form the basis for policy. This international conference will bring together experts from government departments, consultancies, and academia to meet this challenge.

Further Information: http://www.icei2013.com/

 





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Building Biodiversity Workflows with Taverna (Manchester, UK)

The course is a two-day hands-on training event. The course will accommodate 10-15 researchers. The program consists of introductory lectures, practical computer work, and discussions. Researchers will be contacted upon admission in order to consider their own research objectives for the course. more ...





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2nd International Conference on Research Infrastructures

The 2nd International Conference on Research Infrastructures (ICRI 2014) will take place from 2-4 April 2014 in Athens, Greece.ICRI 2014 will be held under the auspices of the forthcoming Greek Presidency of the European Union, co-organised and supported by the European Commission. Read more here





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The 9th International Conference on Open Repositories and DataONE workshop

The 9th International Conference on Open Repositories will be held from 9 to 13 June, 2014 in Helsinki,  Finland. It is the leading international conference in its field, and the attendance is likely to be around 400, with participants from all around the world. The main theme of the conference is "Towards Repository Ecosystems".

DataONE will host an all-day workshop at the conference on Monday, 9 June.

The full conference program is likely to published in late April, 2014, but there is a draft version of the schedule available.

Conference registration has been open since February 14, 2014. There are also sponsorship opportunities available.

The conference will be hosted by University of Helsinki‘s twin libraries: Helsinki University Library and the National Library of Finland. You can contact the organizers by e-mail: or-2014[at]helsinki.fi.

For more information and to register, please visit the conference wensite:http://or2014.helsinki.fi/





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21st GBIF Governing Board meeting (GB21)

The 21st GBIF Governing Board meeting (GB21) and related events will take place in New Delhi, India, in the week of 15-19 September 2014. More information and a link to the registration website will be available closer to the meeting dates.

 





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International Seminar on Participatory Monitoring for the Management of Biodiversity and Natural Resources

 Recognizing the important role of innovation and benchmark the various initiatives of participatory monitoring in the world, the Ministry of Environment of Brazil, ARPA, the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, Mangrove Project in Brazil, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Society, Ecological Research Institute and Nordisk Fond og Miljø is Udvikling, with the support of the Convention on Biological Diversity are organizing the International Seminar on Participatory Monitoring for the Management of Biodiversity and Natural Resources to take place in Manaus, Brazil between 22 and 26 September 2014.
 
Worldwide there is a growing demand for information on the state of conservation of biodiversity as a key tool to support the management of natural resources and depending on the investment strategies of many countries in the protection of nature and sustainable resource use tool. Several initiatives for monitoring biodiversity and natural resources have emerged around the world in an attempt to meet this need. Many of these initiatives rely on the involvement of persons residing, use natural resources or participate in the management of the areas where they develop the monitoring, often from traditional populations.

The community involvement of these populations may happen for several reasons and through different mechanisms, increasing both related to biodiversity conservation as the empowerment of local communities results. Although varied, the role of populations has intensified and generating a wide range of initiatives generically called participatory monitoring. By understanding the enormous potential contribution to biodiversity conservation and local development, research organizations, non-governmental conservation organizations and governments huddled and development to enhance and disseminate participatory monitoring initiatives worldwide.
 
Find out more about participation and the agenda of the seminar in the attached document.




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ExpeER International Conference 2014

The "International Conference on Experimentation in Ecosystem Research in a Changing World: Challenges and Opportunities" will take place on the 24th and 25th of September at the National Museum of Natural History (auditorium de la Grande Galerie de l'Evolution), Paris, France.

Context:

The Earth's rapidly changing environment is putting critical ecosystem services at risk. There are many challenges involved in understanding global environmental changes, and in providing societies with the policy-relevant knowledge base to deal with them. These challenges will reach across many aspects of scientific endeavour. Indeed, the research community requires state-of-the-art research infrastructures (RIs) to have the capability to explain and predict global environmental changes. In this context the Experimentation in Ecosystem Research conference will provide a platform for discussions on cutting-edge technological tools, large-scale integrative experimental design, technical constraints, data access and last but not least ecosystem modelling. The conference will attract speakers and delegates from around the world and will offer opportunities to reinforce global cooperation.  

Main topics:

  • Grand challenges: With the current set of Experimental Research infrastructures in ecosystem science, do we have the capacity to tackle the grand challenges of today and tomorrow?
  • In vitro and in natura : How realistic are they, and how they can be better linked?
  • Technologies: Which emerging technologies could enhance (or are needed for) the performance and services offered by our RIs?
  • Data: Towards an e-infrastructure for ecosystem research - challenges and opportunities
  • Modelling:  How accurate is our capacity to forecast and upscale, and what is missing? How can we communicate uncertainty? How do we strike the right balance between modelling and experiments?

The conference is organized under the framework of the European FP7 project ExpeER ( www.expeeronline.eu )

Find out more in the flyer attached below or on the event's website: https://colloque6.inra.fr/expeer-conference

 

 





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Final SCARCE International Conference

The final SCARCE International Conference "River Conservation under Water Scarcity: Integration of water quantity and quality in Iberian Rivers under global change" will take place on 20 - 21 October 2014 in Terragona, Spain.

SCARCE is a multipurpose project that aims to describe and predict the relevance of global change impacts on water availability, water quality and ecosystem services in Mediterranean river basins of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as their impacts on the human society and economy. The project has assembled a multidisciplinary team of leading scientists in the fields of hydrology, geomorphology, chemistry, ecology, ecotoxicology, economy, engineering and modelling, in an unknown effort in the CONSOLIDER framework. The topics of the Final SCARCE International Conference are:

  •  Integrating the effects of chemical quality with environmental stressors on biodiversity and human risks
  •  Linking chemical exposure and biological effects
  •  Integrated assessment of water quantity and quality and Global Change
  •  Integrating results to predict global change impacts on freshwater ecosystem services
  •  Global change and adaptation and mitigation measures
  • Prediction of future threats and mitigation proposals in the light of the analysis of the economic and social impacts
  •  Water scarcity, freshwater ecosystem services and integration in RBMPs
  •  Integrating science and policy

The Conference is planned in form of oral talks, posters and discussions, where experts from different fields can share their knowledge.

The conference invites to anyone working on water sustainability to share knowledge to face a changing world in water resources management.

The final conference programme is available an attachment below.

 





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SciDataCon 2014: International conference on data sharing and integration for global sustainability

The SciDataCon 2014 will take place on 2–5 November 2014 in New Delhi, India and will be hosted by the Indian National Science Academy. With high-level keynotes, a mix of plenary and parallel sessions, and a stimulating poster session, SciDataCon is conceived as a focussed—yet inclusive—conference to address the issues most important to the global scientific and research community as they pertain to data and information. The International Scientific Programme Committee will play a key role in implementing the scientific programme with innovative online consultation and input from research and data science communities worldwide.

The sustainability challenges facing society today cannot be solved without multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research on global sustainability that requires the use, sharing and integration of data across scientific disciplines and domains and from international sources. The effectiveness and credibility of this research will rely on the availability to the scientific and research community of quality-assessed and interoperable datasets.

To facilitate the work of international research undertakings—including the Future Earth international research programme on global sustainability launched by ICSU and its partners in 2014—and amplify the message of like-minded global data initiatives promoting data sharing and interoperability—including the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and the recently established Research Data Alliance (RDA)—SciDataCon 2014 will highlight the theme of Data Sharing and Integration for Global Sustainability.

Applications for expert members of the International Scientific Programme Committee are invited. Please submit applications no later than 14 February 2014 using the online form available here.

 





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International Biogeography Society: 7th Biennial Conference

The University of Bayreuth welcomes the International Biogeography Society for its 7th international conference, taking place on 8-12 January 2015. This modern research university has a major focus on ecological research housed in the Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER). Novel concepts for research and teaching are established such as the Ecological-Botanical Gardens and the Global Change Ecology study program.

The surroundings of Bayreuth are characterized by outstanding geological and climatic heterogeneity. Isolated fragments of natural ecosystems occur within a highly diverse cultural landscape. It was in the district of Bayreuth where Alexander von Humboldt, a leader in the early history of biogeography, gained his first experience in fieldwork after he finished his studies. At the end of the 18th century, before travelling the world, he worked as director of mining for the regional administration. Various places close to Bayreuth are linked to his scientific development.

The conference will be marked by four plenary symposia, keynote lectures by the awardees of the society’s Alfred Russel Wallace Award and the MacArthur and Wilson Award, contributed paper sessions, and dynamic poster sessions over the lunch and evening. Topical focus sessions will span the breadth of biogeography, from watersheds to the global scale, from Paleozoic to the Anthropocene, and from microbes to megafauna.   

Essential details about the conference, and about the surrounding area, are available via the links above. Information will be updated as details become available in the coming months, so please check back occasionally or stay informed via Facebook and Twitter.

Symposium: PS-2 Tracking Changes from Space: Advances of Remote Sensing in Biogeography

A key problem that biogeographers and ecologists have strived to understand is the spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of the biota. In this age of climatic and land use changes and rapid rates of species extinctions, such knowledge has become an essential component for management and conservation. The synoptic view provided by earth-imaging sensors constitutes an important source of information on the distribution of habitats and biodiversity patterns at different spatial and temporal scales. The traditional approach to using these data has involved the classification of discrete land cover types which are then related to species distributions. A critical limitation of this approach is that many important dynamics are obscured as the variance is lost within arbitrary land cover classes. In recent years, novel analytical techniques and open source software have been developed that more fully exploit the spatial, spectral and temporal information content of remotely sensed imagery in order to quantify a broader range of ecosystem characteristics. This symposium features advances in the synoptic assessment of species distributions and biodiversity patterns including the development of methodologies for assessment, monitoring, and modeling, as well as their implications for management and conservation.

More about the program and speakers available on the conference webpage: http://www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de/ibs2015/





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The 36th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment (ISRSE)

36th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment (ISRSE) will take place on May 11-15, 2015 in Berlin, Germany.

This 36th Symposium will represent a major event in the long series of internationally recognized ISRSE meetings. The overall theme of the symposium is the use of Earth Observation systems and related Remote Sensing techniques for understanding and managing the Earth environment and resources.

The event will also feature sessions "Biodiversity and Conservation" aiming to show the developments and potential of remote sensing within biodiversity and conservation science.

Find out more about this session in the brochure attached below or n the event website: www.isrse36.org

All 12 themes for abstract submission are listed in the Technical programme: http://www.isrse36.org/technical-programme/ and under Abstract submission: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/ISRSE36/sessionprogramme and Deadline for Abstracts is latest 9 November 2014.

Registration: http://www.isrse36.org/registration/

 





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ICCB : 27th International Congress for Conservation Biology 4th European Congress for Conservation Biology

The ICCB : 27th International Congress for Conservation Biology 4th European Congress for Conservation Biology will take place from 2 to 6 August, 2015 in Montpellier - France.
 
SCB’s International and European Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB & ECCB) are the most important international meeting for conservation professionals and students.  They are a forum for addressing conservation challenges and for presenting new research and developments in conservation science and practice. Most importantly, ICCBs and ECCBs connect our global community of conservation professionals and are the major networking outlet for anyone interested in conservation.
 
The meeting theme is 'Mission biodiversity: choosing new paths for conservation', and as such we intend that ICCB-ECCB 2015 is a transdisciplinary meeting and delegates attend from a range of professions and sectors. Conservation biology has always had socioeconomic relevance but it is clear that biologists need to undertake interdisciplinary collaborations from the first inception of projects, through to implementation and dissemination of outputs. The programme will emphasise science-policy and science-society dialogues using interactive sessions and symposia.
 
GEO BON plans a 3-hour symposium "Essential Biodiversity Variables for conservation needs" at the ICCB-ECCB conference in Montpellier. This symposium will be about EBV developments, EBV's for CBD and national needs and EBV dataflows.
 
Contact Person: Jörg Freyhof (Executive Director of GEO BON; joerg.freyhof@idiv.de
 
The call for Symposia, Thematic Poster Exhibitions, Workshops, Round Table Discussions and Training Course Proposals is now open! The deadline is 31st October 2014 and notification of the results will be given prior to December 1st 2014.
 
For more information, please visit the event's dedicated website at: http://www.iccb-eccb2015.org/frontpage

 

 





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1st GLOBAQUA International Conference

The 1st GLOBAQUA International Conference will be held on 11-12 January 2016 in Freising, Germany. The interdisciplinary conference will go under the motto "Managing The Effects Of Multiple Stressors On Aquatic Ecosystems Under Water Scarcity".

The conference will serve as a platform for exchange and discus­sion of innovative scientific findings and methods in aquatic ecosys­tems research. It will focus on novel methods of environmental monitor­ing and modeling of various scopes, scales and structural complexity to improve process understanding the interconnectivity and feedback mechanisms of climate (regional), land use (regional), economy, hydrol­ogy and hydraulics (catchment and river), water quality (river), biology and aquatic ecosystems (reach scale). Further, the conference builds the bridge to the scientific assessment of implications on policy and management.

The deadine for submitting an abstract for the conference has been now extended until 7 Nov 2015.

More information on the conference, registration, abstract submitting is available on the GLOBAQUA website





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International Workshop Decision Models and Population Management

The "International Workshop Decision Models and Population Management" will take place from 2 to 4 February, 2014 in Paris, France. The three days international and interdisciplinary workshop is devoted to the decision making, in particular in presence of multiple actors with or without interaction. These problems occur in a natural way in management of populations, where the dynamics are strongly related to the decisions. The workshop aims to bring together Mathematicians, Computer Scientists and Ecologists around the problem of populations management. The population dynamics, viability theory and game theory form an umbrella of helpful mathematical tools in this context. On the other hand, the computer sciences bring the online and algorithmic mechanism design.

The workshop is motivated by concrete problems proposed by ecologists and aims to create a synergy between scientists from different backgrounds to address the challenging modelling of decision making in the context of ecological paradigms.

Invited Speakers
- Michel BENAIM (Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Swtizerland)
- Renato CASAGRANDI (Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria Politecnico di Milano, Italy)
- Denis COUVET (Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France)
- Sylvain DUCTOR (LIP6, UPMC, Paris, France)
- Marino GATTO (Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria-Politecnico di Milano, Italy) 
- Ihab HAIDAR (Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France)
- Sophie MARTIN (UR LISC - IRSTEA)
- Nicolas MAUDET (LIP6, UPMC, Paris, France) 
- Paco MELIÀ (Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria Politecnico di Milano, Italy)
- Jean-Baptiste MIHOUB (UPMC-Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France)
- Vianney PERCHET (Université Denis Diderot, Paris, France)
 - Karl SIGMUND (University of Vienna, Wien, Austria)
- Sylvain SORIN (IMJ-PRG, UPMC, Paris, France)
- Jean-Philippe TERREAUX (IRSTEA-ADBX, Bordeaux, France)
- Tristan TOMALA (École des hautes études commerciales de Paris, Paris, France)
- Vladimir VELIOV (Institute of Statistics and Mathematical Methods in Economics, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria)
- Yannick VIOSSAT (Université Paris-Dauphine, Paris, France)






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First International ECSA Conference

The European Citizen Science Association organizes the First International ECSA Conference at the Kulturbrauerei in Berlin, Germany to take place from 19 to 21 May 2016.

The event will involve three days of talks, interactive sessions and panels to discuss and network with Citizen Scientist enthusiasts, practitioners, academic researchers, policy makers, science funders, non-governmental organisations, interested citizens and other stakeholders. The conference focuses on demonstrating and further exploring the innovation potential of Citizen Science for science, society and policy and its role within open science and innovation.

Attached below please find our Save-the-date Announcement in English and German. Please feel free to distribute it further or to print it for your institution's bill-board. Conference language will be English.

Subscribe now on the conference website and you will be sure to get all conference information: http://www.ecsa2016





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2nd International GGBN Conference on Biodiversity Biobanking

The Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin are glad to welcome you to the 2016 GGBN conference, held from June 21 through June 24, 2016, in Berlin, Germany.

The Global Genome Biodiversity Network is a collaborative effort to cryo-preserve and provide access to genomic samples from across the Tree of Life.
Sessions and Workshops are planned on

  • Concerted collecting and sampling strategies to preserve the Tree of Life
  • Sampling the lost world in Natural History collections
  • Nagoya Protocol: consequences and solutions
  • Knowledge exchange: natural history meets applied biobanking
  • Implementing GGBN standards and best practice

More information here.

 





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Biodiversity research for and by citizens in Eastern Europe: tools, information services and public engagement

Citizens in democratic society are no longer just passive bystanders when science is in focus. They show interest in results, ask for consultation and contribute with data. For many fields of research citizen science data are valuable additional information.
 
The FP7 project Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network - EU BON (http://eubon.eu/) now organizes a dedicated Citizen Science Workshop to explore the opportunities and tools for citizens in Eastern Europe to engage in biodiversity research. The workshop will take place on 27-28 June 2016 at the University of Tartu Natural History Museum, Estonia.
 
Engaging citizens is a challenge both for society and for researchers. There are new tools and methods which allow to manage citizen science projects, collect data and provide feedback to citizen scientists. The workshop will present EU BON results of citizen science mobilizing efforts for biodiversity research, provide training for citizen science tools and showcase some examples of Estonian projects and European initiatives. Workshop will also make an effort to prioritize recommendations and next steps for citizen science integration into biodiversity research.
 
To view the programme, learn more and subscribe, please visit the event's webpage here: http://eubon.cybertaxonomy.africamuseum.be/CS%20workshop




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33rd (International Society of Limnology) SIL conference: Science for sustainable freshwater use

The 33rd (International Society of Limnology) SIL conference "Science for sustainable freshwater use" will be held from 31 July until 5 August 2016 in torino, Italy. 

Our planet is under pressure due to increased demand for freshwater. The availability and suitability of water resources are threatened by human influences, directly, through globally unbalancing the slow and fast water cycles and impairing water quality, and indirectly through the adverse effects of climate change. Many freshwater ecosystems are deteriorating in quantity and quality. As a result, an increasing number of people are chronically short of water.

In this context, limnology must represent the answer to the planetary water crisis as we need more science and more scientists to urgently face a sustainable and effective freshwater recovery. This need can be satisfied only improving our knowledge in Limnological Sciences and the people awareness of what science can do for a more sustainable use of freshwater ecosystems.

More information available here: http://www.sil2016.it/





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2016 XXV International Congress of Entomology (ICE)

ESA is honored to host ICE 2016, the XXV International Congress of Entomology, under the theme Entomology without Borders. The event is expected to bring together the largest delegation of scientists and experts in the history of the discipline, who will meet between 25-30 Sep 2016, in exciting, easily-accessible, and affordable Orlando, Florida, USA.

  • Make important connections with entomologists and scientists from around the world.
  • Present to this global audience and compete in global competitions.
  • Participate in forums and discussions covering every aspect of the discipline.
  • Build global networks and collaborative research with others in your field of interest.
  • Showcase your products and services to an important global audience.

The Congress will allow scientists and students to interact with the world’s leading experts in many specialties to exchange ideas and build on their research. Symposia will highlight the most recent advances in a wide diversity of entomological subjects around the global theme.





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ICRI 2016 (International Conference on Research Infrastructures)

The next International Conference on Research Infrastructures will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 3 to 5 October 2016, hosted by the South African Department of Science and Technology (DST) in collaboration with the European Commission. It will be the 3rd Conference on Research Infrastructures and the event will have an international dimension. The conference aims at:

  • highlighting the essential role of global research infrastructures in addressing grand challenges and as hubs for innovation;
  • reflecting on needs, development and sustainability of global/regional research infrastructures;
  • discussing the possibility to move towards an international roadmap.

Several hundreds of participants from more than 50 countries are expected to take part to this event. Speakers representing high-level stakeholders from across the globe, as well as highly profiled key political Institutions, including the UN, European Commission, African Union, OECD and others, will intervene in the debate.

More information to follow.





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Sfécologie2016, the 2016 International Conference of the French Ecological Society

Sfécologie2016, the 2016 International Conference of the French Ecological Society, will take place  in Marseille (France), from 24-28 October 2016. Local organizer is the 'Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie' (IMBE).

Following the former successful events (Ecologie 2010 in Montpellier and Joint Meeting British Ecological Society/Sfé 2014 in Lille), Sfécologie 2016 will promote and support exchanges around the latest developments in research and the most exciting challenges raised from the different disciplines of ecology, sharing scientific evidences, confronting experiences, developing collaborations around the Mediterranean Sea, across Europe, across the world.

The 4-days programme will be extensive, including 5 plenary speakers, thematic sessions and 14 symposia as well as inviting social events (conference outline here). 

For more information visit the official event's page.






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X. International Conference on Ecological Informatics 'Facing Global Change by Sharing Data and Models'

The 10th  International Conference on Ecological Informatics 'Facing Global Change by Sharing Data and Models' wil take place on 24‐28 October 2016 in Dubrovnik, Croatia  

Keynote speakers :  
Duccio Rocchini, Trento, Italy 'Recent developments in biogeography'
Marie A. Roch, San Diego State University, USA 'Managing bioacoustics data'
 
Submissions of abstracts, special sessions, short courses on all aspects of ecological informatics are accepted until January 31st 2016 and should be sent to
Bozidar Dedus, Local Conference Chair bozidar.dedus@gmail.com
 
More information is available here: www.icei2016.org                                                                                                                                     

 





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2017 GEO Work Programme Symposium & 37th International Symposium of Remote Sensing (ISRSE)

The 2017 GEO Work Programme Symposium will be held back-to-back with the 37th International Symposium of Remote Sensing (ISRSE), in Tshwane, South Africa, the week of 8-13 May 2017.

The ISRSE thematic areas are aligned with GEO's areas of focus and Societal Benefit Areas (SBAs). Abstracts for the conference themes may be submitted by 22 November 2016 here:

Please inform Douglas Cripe (dcripe@geosec.org) at the GEO Secretariat if you do submit an abstract.

In support of the Work Programme Symposium, there are eight GEO special sessions in which you are encouraged to submit an abstract:

  • 04-1 GEOGLAM - Beyond crop monitoring, form data to actionable knowledge;
  • 04-4 Towards a new philosophy for generating land cover;
  • 10-2 The GFOI as a R&D promoter toward operational tropical forest monitoring systems;
  • 11-2 Innovative infrastructure for delivering Earth Observations solutions; 
  • 11-4 Implementing GEOSS Data Sharing and Management Principles at the national level in Africa;
  • 12-2 GEO in-situ observation networks;
  • 13-2 GEOSS Common Infrastructure for Africa; and
  • 13-5 Implementing the GEO user needs and gaps process: expectations, opportunities and challenges.

To contribute to these special sessions, please submit your abstract by 24 November 2016 using this link:

 





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BIOTALENT EU Conference: Tackling biodiversity challenges through innovative e-learning

BIOTALENT is a multilingual blended e-learning training programme to gain crucial skills and knowledge in biodiversity. Protecting life on earth in all its forms also involves introducing innovative ways to address pressing environmental issues of today. A strong investment in environmental education and a passion for science is therefore essential to this programme.

This one-day event, Taking place on 18 May 2017, in Brussels, will illustrate the uniqueness of the BIOTALENT project and programme in the way environmental education is brought to the course participant. The various expert speakers that are invited are all very passionate about innovation in education and the new ways in which scientific and environmental education can contribute to conserving biodiversity.  

To register and find out more visit the official announcement.






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Abortion rights advocates win in 7 states and clear way to overturn Missouri ban but lose in 3

Until Tuesday, abortion rights advocates had prevailed on all seven measures that have appeared on statewide ballots since the fall of Roe.

The post Abortion rights advocates win in 7 states and clear way to overturn Missouri ban but lose in 3 appeared first on Boston.com.









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International Trial Watch: experts set up platform to supervise Catalonia’s independence trial

International observers will determine if the right to defense and impartial trial are respected



VILAWEB

18-12-2018



A group of judicial and human rights experts, as well as professors throughout Spain, have set up a platform called ‘International Trial Watch – Catalan Referendum case’ to supervise the trial against independence leaders, presented on Monday.

At the event, criminal law professor Iñaki Rivera stated that they are creating reports to determine if the “right to defense, the existence and duration of pre-trial incarceration, and impartial trial, balance between parties, and the taking of evidence” are respected, along with the competency of the Supreme Court in the trial.







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What Is Alternative Music?

Alternative music is difficult to describe. It isn’t pop; it isn’t rock, and it isn’t in between either… it’s alternative. There are endless possibilities within ... Read more

The post What Is Alternative Music? appeared first on CMUSE.





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Pastrnak’s goal completes rally as Bruins come back to stun Blues 3-2

ST. LOUIS (AP) — David Pastrnak scored with 1:47 to play as the Boston Bruins scored three third-period goals to come back for a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. Pastrnak’s shot from the left circle trickled through Jordan Binnington’s pads and slid just over the goal line. Morgan Geekie and […]

The post Pastrnak’s goal completes rally as Bruins come back to stun Blues 3-2 appeared first on Boston.com.






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The Future of Botanical Monography: Report from an international workshop, 12–16 March 2012, Smolenice, Slovak Republic





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Streamlining European biodiversity indicators 2020: Building a future on lessons learnt from the SEBI 2010 process




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Towards a Reflexive Turn in the Governance of Global Environmental Expertise




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How can local and traditional knowledge be effectively incorporated into international assessments?





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The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES): progress and next steps