ATBC 2016: Reconciling conservation and sustainable use of tropical biodiversity

Tropical forests, coral reefs, mangroves, grasslands, prairies, and so on and so on. Tropical ecosystems are home to the broadest biodiversity on the planet. They are also some of the world's most threatened environments, yet their disappearance or degradation have consequences for the environment and the climate that extend well beyond the tropics.

"Tropical forests are the most varied terrestrial ecosystems on the planet, and their capacity to render environmental services such as atmospheric carbon capture is largely dependent on maintaining that biodiversity", as Plinio Sist, Head of CIRAD's Forests and Societies Research Unit and Chair of the ATBC 2016 Organizing Committee, points out. Unfortunately, that capacity is in great danger, not only due to forest clearance to convert the land for agriculture, pasture or oil palm plantations, etc, but also to predatory logging practices that lead to deg radation" . Tropical forests are the most highly publicized examples, but this pressure concerns all tropical ecosystems, whose functioning is now under threat, and also, more broadly, bio-geochemical cycles.

How can we reconcile the preservation of tropical biodiversity with its rational use by mankind? This question will be at the heart of the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, to be held at Montpellier's Corum Centre from 19 to 23 June 2016, on the topic "Tropical ecology and society: reconciling conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity" .

The event, which is co-organized by CIRAD, the IRD, INRA and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, will bring together more than 700 scientists from 51 countries, to exchange ideas, concepts and approaches relating to the conservation of tropical environments. In all, 72 symposia are planned, including almost 600 oral presentations on topics as varied as tropical forest mapping, the economic tools that serve to fund ecosystem services, plant-microbe and plant-animal interactions, wildlife loss, chemical ecology, etc. Three poster sessions including more than 140 posters will enable many researchers to present their results.

Six plenary sessions are also planned:

• Women in tropical biology and conservation - Prof. Kaoru Kitajima, University of Kyoto : as ATBC President for 2016, Kaoru Kitajima will be paying tribute to the role played by women in tropical biology research and conservation. The organizers are very proud to point out that this conference will guarantee full equality between men and women!

• Tropical wildlife: a forgotten and threatened forest resource - Dr. Robert Nasi, Deputy Director General-Research, CIFOR : bush meat is a vital source of protein for many people in tropical regions. Robert Nasi will be taking stock of the vulnerability of this resource, the public health issues surrounding its use, and the solutions for managing it more efficiently.

• I and the Village: Transcending the boundaries of Chagall’s enchanting community as we seek to conserve biodiversity - Prof. Karen A. Kainer, University of Florida : through the decisions they make, local communities have a substantial impact on the future of the ecosystems in which they live. Karen Kainer will be explaining the importance of these potential partners in ensuring more effective, meaningful conservation partnerships.

• Challenges in using human-nature interactions to better inform policy and assess management outcomes - Dr. Joachim Claudet, researcher, CNRS : foreseeing, adapting to and mitigating the consequences of the current changes in ecosystems means implementing multi-disciplinary approaches. Joachim Claudet will be recalling the conceptual frameworks underlying such approaches, along with the issues to be addressed, notably based on examples from Polynesia.

• Conserving tropical forests: the potential role of sustainable forest management - Prof. Marielos Pena Claros, Wageningen University : rational logging of tropical forests is a potential conservation strategy. Marielos Pena Claros will be assessing the impact of selective logging on biodiversity, forest dynamics and ecosystem services. Among other things, she will be presenting practices aimed at improving the regeneration of commercial species, and stressing the importance of ecological knowledge for defining sustainable management strategies.

• The future role and key challenges of biodiversity conservation and use in Africa - Dr. Tuyeni Mwampamba, researcher, UNAM-CIEco : Tuyeni Mwampamba will be taking stock of the difficulties encountered by African tropical conservation specialists. She will also be showcasing the success stories that are setting an example for a new type of conservation in Africa and giving hope for sustainable use of the continent's ecosystems.

Further details are available on the ATBC 2016 website: http://www.atbc2016.org/

A detailed programme is available here.

The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation is an association and scientific foundation with members in 65 countries. It was founded in the USA in 1963, and serves to structure the international scientific community working on tropical ecology. The ATBC's objective is to promote research, training and knowledge-sharing in the field of tropical environments. In particular, it publishes the journal Biotropica, and awards prizes or grants to support training of students, the career progression of junior scientists, the development of scientific ecology in southern countries, and tropical forest conservation. Each of its annual meetings is held in a different country.