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EuroScience Open Forum 2016

The EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) is a biennial, pan-European, general science conference dedicated to scientific research and innovation. Each conference aims to deliver stimulating content and lively debate around the latest advancements and discoveries in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. Now in its seventh iteration, ESOF attracts thousands of delegates to the host city during the week of the conference, which, in 2016, will be held between 23 and 27 July in Manchester. 

ESOF brings together over 4,500 leading thinkers, innovators, policy makers, journalists and educators from more than 90 countries, to discuss current and future breakthroughs in contemporary science.

ESOF is one of the best opportunities for everyone from leading scientists, early careers researchers, business people, policy makers, science and technology communicators to the general public to come together to find out more about how science is helping us advance today.

Registration and more information: http://www.esof.eu/about/introduction-to-esof.html

 





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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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Science, Business and Environment: a UNEP-GRID conference

As a part of the celebrations of  a 25th Anniversary, GRID-Warsaw is holding an international conference Science, Business and EnvironmentThe conference will take place on 15 Sep 206 and is organized in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The main objective is to present the state, changes and threats (hot issues) for the pan-European continent, identified in the latest UNEP report, released as part of the Global Environment Outlook series. The "GEO-6 Assessment for the pan-European region" report was published in June 2016, and first time presented at a conference of Environment Ministers on June 8, 2016 in Batumi. The conference in Warsaw will be the first event during which the report will be presented to the broader community, as well as become the subject of discussion of experts representing different backgrounds and different countries.

EU BON is partner of the conference - the conference is also connected to relevant issues of EU BON, namely collecting, sharing, and utilizing data and geoinformation tools for environmental investigations and biodiversity assessments. These topics will fill the most of a special panel session dedicated to biodiversity and be also present at the plenary opening session Environmental changes in the pan-European region - current trends and challenges. Using environmental data in science, business and administration. 

For further information about the event: agenda, invited panelists, descriptions of sessions, registration form etc. please visit www.gridw.pl/geo6





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European Ecosystem Services 2016 Conference

The European Ecosystem Services 2016 conference will take place from 19 to 23 September 2016 in Antwerp, Belgium. The theme 'Helping nature to help us' focuses on the important role that healthy ecosystems play in supporting human well-being and the protection of nature.

This conference will be the biggest European event in 2016 that links science, policy and practice on ecosystem services and natural capital. It will have a strong focus on practice and implementation.

The conference programme offers an attractive mix of:

  • keynote presentations from policy, practice and science;
  • a networking day where businesses, practitioners, policymakers and researchers meet and showcase their work;
  • interactive sessions to demonstrate working examples of ecosystem services and natural capital;
  • field excursions to see ecosystem services in action; and
  • scientific sessions.

Key dates:

Registration opens on 2 May 2016.

Call for abstracts - 1 Apr - 15 May 2016.

To register and find out more about teh event, please visit the official website.

 

 

 





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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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ILTER Open Science Meeting (OSM)

The International LTER Network is pleased to announce its first global Open Science Meeting to be held from 9-13 October 2016 in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Registration will be open to all experts involved in LTER, interested researchers and stakeholders. Topical research themes will be addressed in plenary, break-away sessions and workshops. Experience from site-based to global LTER in one conference at a world-class biodiversity destination, and take advantage of ample opportunities for networking and coordination across ecosystems. ILTER will also use the opportunity to engage a range of powerful international partners of LTER in global change research and policy. Various field trips to South African LTER sites will be organized. Remember to put the dates on your calendar.
 
The OSM themes are:
  • Nitrogen impacts on ecosystems structures and functioning.
  • Carbon and water cycles under climate change.
  • Towards sustainable usage of ecosystem services (local, regional & global).
  • Drivers of biodiversity across scales.
  • Data integration and interoperability enabling global scale ecosystem research and linking with environmental monitoring.
  • Linking local, regional and global Earth system observations and models.
In addition, there will be a call for contribution to emerging issues and challenges for ecosystem research.
In addition there will be half a day dedicated to relations with major relevant global observation networks and infrastructures. 2-day fieldtrips to South African ecosystem research sites will be offered to a limited number of participants before the conference.
 
The OSM specifically addresses
  • LTER researchers and scientific site coordinators (PIs).
  • LTER stakeholders and partners
  • The participation of early career scholars and postgraduate researchers is encouraged.

More information here.





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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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13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

The 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity will take place from 4 to 17 December 2016 - Cancun, Mexico.

More information to follow here: https://www.cbd.int/doc/?meeting=cop-13





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TDWG 2016 Annual Conference

The TDWG 2016 Annual Conference  will take place from 5 to 9 December 2016 in Santa Clara de San Carlos, COSTA RICA. The conference theme this year is: Standards Supporting Innovation in Biodiversity Research and Conservation.

Standards for the description and exchange of biodiversity information help promote research, support decision-making for conservation and planning, and provide a means of communicating observations by both professional and citizen scientists across taxa and political boundaries. TDWG standards are an integral foundation of the largest biodiversity information sources, but given the wealth and diversity of information collected for plants, animals, and fossils, the need remains to extend and refine the concepts required to achieve greater integration for the discovery of knowledge and its use in biodiversity conservation.

This year, TDWG is focusing its annual meeting not only on supporting research, decision making, and communication of biodiversity information, but also on how standards can support innovative research. Scientific innovations often "stand on the shoulders of giants," but they can also be disruptive -- causing major changes in the way that science works.  To what extent do our standards promote innovation, and does the most innovative research show us where our  standards need to be refined and extended? Current research both in Computer Science (e.g., deep learning, computer vision, ambient computing) and Biodiversity Sciences offers excellent opportunities for multidisciplinary innovative synergies among researchers, decision makers, students, and citizen scientists. 

For more information and to register: http://www.tdwg.org/conference2016/

 





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1st EKLIPSE Conference

The 1st EKLIPSE conference will taka place from 6th to 8th December, 2016.

The conference will present the first outputs of EKLIPSE, identify further knowledge needs with respect to biodiversity in the context of nature-based solutions and to further develop our joint networking. During the event EKLIPSE will organise jointly with partners including BiodivERsA and EPBRS a series of workshops and conferences in Brussels.





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European Conference of Tropical Ecology

The "European Conference of Tropical Ecology" - the annual scientific meeting of the Society for Tropical Ecology (Gesellschaft für Tropenökologie, gtö) - will be organized in 2017 in Brussels, Belgium, by three Universities and three research-museum institutions. It will take place from Monday 6 to Friday 10 February 2017, on the campus "Etterbeek" from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, a location easily reached from the city centre by public transport. 

The overarching topic will be "(re)connecting tropical biodiversity in space and time". It highlights both the importance of integrating fundamental sciences inferring past processes (e.g. paleoecology, evolution, social history…) to understand current patterns of biodiversity, and the urgent need to reconnect patches of fragmented landscapes if we wish to conserve tropical biodiversity and ecological services of tropical ecosystems for future generations.

For more information and to register, please visit the official event's page: http://www.soctropecol-2017.eu/  





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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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Repost of Vancouver: Three gems from Iran and India

The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs (2020). Since David’s death, this blog has not been updated. I do, however, plan to occasionally re-post old entries if they become relevant to current events in the world of film. I also hope to post new entries as the inspiration strikes me. This entry deals with Mohammad Rasoulof’s […]













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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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Data Papers as Incentives for Opening Biodiversity Data: One Year of Experience and Perspectives for The Future





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LifeWatch Technical Construction Plan –Reference Model





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Our life insurance, our natural capital: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020




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Improved access to integrated biodiversity data for science, practice, and policy - the European Biodiversity Observation Network (EU BON)




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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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Establishing macroecological trait datasets: digitalization, extrapolation, and validation of diet preferences in terrestrial mammals worldwide




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Estimating the cost of different strategies for measuring farmland biodiversity: Evidence from a Europe-wide field evaluation




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Advancing species diversity estimate by remotely sensed proxies: A conceptual review





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Uncertainty analysis of crowd-sourced and professionally collected field data used in species distribution models of Taiwanese Moths





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Towards a different attitude to uncertainty




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The importance of open data for invasive alien species research, policy and management





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Indirect interactions among tropical tree species through shared rodent seed predators: a novel mechanism of tree species coexistence





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Reconciling expert judgement and habitat suitability models as tools for guiding sampling of threatened species




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A regionally informed abundance index for supporting integrative analyses across butterfly monitoring schemes





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Fauna Europaea: Annelida – Hirudinea, incl. Acanthobdellea and Branchiobdellea




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A benchmark survey of the common plants of South Northumberland and Durham, United Kingdom




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A multiregion community model for inference about geographic variation in species richness




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Liberating field science samples and data





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Framing the concept of satellite remote sensing essential biodiversity variables: challenges and future directions




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Functional traits help to explain half-century long shifts in pollinator distributions




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Incorporating spatial autocorrelation in rarefaction methods: implications for ecologists and conservation biologists




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2nd EU BON Stakeholder Roundtable (Berlin, Germany): How can a European biodiversity network support citizen science? EU BON Workshop Report




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Unstructured citizen science data fail to detect long-term population declines of common birds in Denmark




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Is citizen science an open science in the case of biodiversity observations?