What's the latest from HABIT-CHANGE

Call for Contributions: International Conference on Managing Protected Areas under Climate Change, Dresden/Germany

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:16:00 +0200

IMPACT sets out to meet the growing need for sharing knowledge and experiences in the field of biodiversity conservation and climate change by bringing together researchers, conservation managers and decision-makers in the field of nature conservation.

IMPACT will present good practice examples and share experience of putting adaptation strategies into action. Furthermore, IMPACT will improve the integration of research outputs into conservation projects as well as the identification of unsolved problems and further research needs. It will efficiently help conservation managers today to make decisions about climate impacts of the future.

Conference themes include:

• Assessing sensitivity
• Modelling of climate-induced impacts
• Management practices
• Monitoring of climate-induced impacts
• Awareness raising, communication and stakeholder involvement
• Managing the unknown / Decision Support
• Legal aspects and policy recommendations
• Climate change impacts on species and invasive species

You are invited to submit 400 word abstracts for oral and poster presentations through the conference website until 20 May 2012. Abstracts must be in English and be related to the conference topics.

Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services (IPBES) established

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:55:00 +0200

IPBES was established by more than 90 governments as a new platform to bridge the gap between science and policy-makers and aims to fight the accelerating worldwide loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystem service.

CLIMATE-ADAPT: European Climate Adaptation Platform launched

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:20:00 +0200

The website is aimed at policy makers and 'practitioners' who can learn from the experience of others facing similar challenges and see what their adaptation strategies are. Visit the CLIMATE-ADAPT at http://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/

"Forest management and climate change: A literature review"

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:32:00 +0100

The document is based on literature reviews and a survey of forest managers. It provides recommendations for forest managers in order to be prepared for future challenges. The PDF is available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/015/md012e/md012e00.pdf

International Conference on Managing Protected Areas under Climate Change, 24.-26.09.2012, Dresden

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:12:00 +0100

IMPACT sets out to meet the growing need for sharing knowledge and experiences in the field of biodiversity conservation and climate change. Taking a transdisciplinary perspective, the aim of the conference is to bring together researchers, conservation managers and decision-makers in the field of nature conservation. It provides a platform for dialogue to develop a better understanding of the complex impacts of climate change on biodiversity on local level and the means to adapt management in protected areas accordingly. We anticipate 150 international participants to enjoy two days of technical sessions, workshops, poster exhibits and social activities, and one day of excursions. Proposals for oral and poster presentations are welcome until April 27. Further information is available under www.habit-change.eu/impact

Petition to save the Danube

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:10:00 +0100

A project to regulate the Danube by channeling the natural shifting river course to a defined regulation corridor between Croatia and Serbia would have considerable impact on two Ramsar sites, the "Kopački Rit" national park in Croatia and the Serbian Special Nature Reserve "Gornje Podunavlje."

For more information and to sign the petition please visit http://www.amazon-of-europe.com/en/

German biodiversity monitoring workshop „Nationales Biodiversitätsmonitoring 2020“

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:41:00 +0100

The German science-policy platform of biodiversity research (Netzwerk-forum zur Biodiversitätsforschung Deutschland) and the Helmholtz centre for environmental research (UFZ) are organizing a two day workshop on the monitoring of biodiversity in Germany.

For further information please view the workshop programme: http://www.biodiversity.de/images/stories/N6-workshops/einladung%20monitoring_07-03-12-3.pdf

UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA)

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:27:00 +0100

The CCRA has reviewed the evidence for over 700 potential impacts of climate change in a UK context. Detailed analysis was undertaken for over 100 of these impacts across 11 key sectors, on the basis of their likelihood, the scale of their potential consequences and the urgency with which action may be needed to address them. Further Information at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/government/risk-assessment/ The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) includes a Climate Change Risk Assessment for the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Sector. Further Information at: http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=CCRAfortheBiodiversityandEcosystemServicesSector.pdf

US government launches adaptation strategy for the natural environment

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:22:00 +0100

The strategy aims to enable decision-makers and managers in the natural environment to take steps towards effective adaptation.

The 7 goals of the strategy are to:

1.     Conserve adequate habitat to support healthy fish, wildlife and plant populations and ecosystem functions in a changing climate.

2.     Manage species and habitats to protect ecosystem function and   provide sustainable cultural, subsistence, recreational, and commercial use

3.     Enhance capacity for effective management ….

4.     Build coordinated observation, information management, and decision-support systems that facilitate adaptive management….

5.     Increase knowledge and information on impacts and responses of fish, wildlife and plants to a changing climate.

6.     Increase awareness and motivate action to safeguard fish, wildlife   and plants in a changing climate.

7.     Reduce impacts of non-climate stressors to reduce vulnerability

Further Information is availabel at http://www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov/ Also the National Park Service’ Climate Change Response Strategy is available on this website:

http://www.nature.nps.gov/climatechange/docs/NPS_CCRS.pdf

CliChaMoR - Summer School 2012 on "Climate Change in Mountain Regions: meta-disciplinary impacts, causes, consequences and mitigation and adaptation strategies"

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:03:00 +0100

The Z_GIS Summer School 2012 is dedicated to the theme of "Climate Change in Mountain Regions: meta-disciplinary impacts, causes, consequences and mitigation and adaptation strategies" and is hosted by Salzburg University's Centre for Geoinformatics. Further information: www.zgis.at/Summerschools

Global Conference on Global Warming-2012

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:23:00 +0100

GCGW-2012 will include plenary sessions, keynote lectures, and several specialized sessions on different topics related to global warming and potential solutions. Further information at http://www.gcgw.org

Postgraduate Courses on Building Resilience to Climate Change

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:31:00 +0100

The United Nations University Institute for Sustainability and Peace (UNU-ISP), Tokyo, invites applications for the intensive five week postgraduate programme on Building Resilience to Climate Change. The courses have been developed under the framework of the University Network for Climate and Ecosystems Change Adaptation Research (UN-CECAR). Further information at http://portal.unu.edu/calendar/?go=event.page&id=4247

DISCCRS VII Interdisciplinary Climate Change Research Symposium

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:48:00 +0100

Since 2003, DISCCRS has hosted symposia for early-career researchers to catalyze formation of interdisciplinary collegial networks, while fostering skills to better prepare graduates to conduct collaborative research and respond to the myriad challenges posed by climate change and its impacts. Participants will share their research; engage in discussions with peers, mentors, and funding agency representatives; and participate in communication and team training. Thirty early-career scholars will be selected through a review process with the expectation that invitees will become leaders in their chosen fields. Airfare and on-site expenses are supported through grants from NSF and NASA. Further information at http://disccrs.org

Berlin Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:41:00 +0100

The conference aims to bring together scholars from different disciplines and strands of research that produce evidence to support decision making for sustainable development, and those that study the use and application of such evidence. Furthermore, we invite policy makers and practitioners working at the science-policy-interface or dealing with issues of evidence use in policy making to share their experiences. Further information at http://www.berlinconference.org/2012/

Global Sustainability Summer School 2012

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:33:00 +0100

The Global Sustainability Summer School 2012 is an intensive two-week program that will be organized jointly by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), in partnership with the Santa Fe Institute (SFI). It will explore global sustainability issues from a complex system perspective with particular focus on risks, uncertainties, and extreme events.
With enrollment limited to 35 participants, the summer school wants to attract young professionals from universities, governmental and non-governmental agencies and industry over a wide range of disciplines and professions. Participants will come from all world regions, fostering international cooperation and exchange. Further Information at http://www.gsss-potsdam.org/

Summer School: Adaptive Thinking for Navigating the Anthropocene

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:57:00 +0100

Many sectors, such as forestry, biodiversity conservation, water management, agriculture, infrastructure development need information about the current state and future direction of ecosystem conditions, potential ecosystem-based adaptations, and relevant policies and governance mechanisms enabling such adaptations. The Central European University is offering a summer school focusing on theoretical and practical aspects of adaptation and adaptive governance. More information is available at http://www.summer.ceu.hu/adaptive-2012

5th International Scientific Conference on Water, Climate and Environment

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:28:00 +0100

The purpose of the conference is to provide a solutions-based forum and to exchange information regarding research activities and plans for studying the relationship between climate and environment changes and human activities with specific focuse on water related matters. Attendees will include scientists, engineers, managers, legislators, NGO representatives and policy makers involved in water, climate and environment related matters.

BALWOIS 2012 is a platform for creating partnerships in solving water scarcity problems, floods, droughts, environmental degradation and risk affecting different regions by facilitating the sharing of experiences through the presentation of scientific and technical papers and posters on planning research and development activities.

More information at http://balwois.com/2012/

NCCARF Conference - Climate Adaptation in Action 2012 - Sharing Knowledge to Adapt

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:24:00 +0100

Australia’s National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) is holding its annual national conference in Melbourne from the 26-28 June, 2012. This year’s conference focuses on the information needed to ensure Australia is adapting well to climate change. The 2012 Climate Adaptation in Action Conference will showcase the contribution of adaptation science to planning and policy making across Australia. It will explore how robust adaptation decisions can be made in the face of uncertainty. More information at http://www.nccarf.edu.au/conference2012/

Second Nordic International Conference on Climate Change Adaptation

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:19:00 +0100

It is clear that effective adaptation will be essential for coping with inevitable climate change. But are societies sufficiently aware of and prepared for these accelerating and unprecedented changes? This is a central question being posed for participants at the Second Nordic International Conference on Climate Change Adaptation. A meeting place for adaptation research and practice. The Conference seeks to identify common ground between adaptation research and adaptation decision-making by comparing experiences, reporting new insights and revealing key gaps in knowledge. More information at http://www.area.fi/climate-change-adaptation-conference

3rd European Congress of Conservation Biology

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:24:00 +0100

The European Section of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB-Europe) is inviting to join the European Congress of Conservation Biology 2012 (ECCB2012) in Glasgow. The Congress is hosted by the University of Cumbria's National School of Forestry and marks the 10th anniversary of the formation of the SCB-Europe. The theme of the congress will be "Conservation on the Edge". Themes, among others are:

Adaptive management
Climate change and terrestrial and marine biodiversity
Conservation at the science-policy interface
Land use planning for conservation
Landscape ecology and conservation
Risk assessment and uncertainty

For further information go to http://eccb2012.org/