[Coral-List] Call for Proposals: International Marine Conservation Congress

[John Cigliano]

The first call for proposals for "oral presentations, speed   
presentations, and posters" for the International Marine Conservation  
Congress opens September 1, 2008.   This call will be opened from 1  
September - 15 October  2008.   Details for submittal can be found at  
the conference website:  http://www.conbio.org/IMCC


SCOPE:

The Marine Section of the Society for Conservation Biology will be  
hosting its first stand-alone meeting, the International Marine  
Conservation Congress (IMCC), from 20-24 May 2009 at George Mason  
University near Washington D.C. This will be an interdisciplinary  
meeting that will engage natural and social scientists, managers,  
policy-makers, and the public. The goal of the IMCC is to put  
conservation science into practice through public and media outreach  
and the development concrete products (e.g., policy briefs, blue  
ribbon position papers) that will be used to drive policy change and  
implementation. This meeting will encompass the 2nd International  
Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC1 was held in Geelong, Australia  
in October 2005).  The IMPAC2 component will consist of an organized  
cross cutting issue within the IMCC addressing MPAs though the full  
range of posters, papers, workshops and symposia.

IMCC encourages authors to submit papers that apply to the major  
themes and tracks below, describing original work, including methods,  
techniques, applications, tools, issues, reporting research results  
and/or indicating future directions.

Major themes that will be addressed include:

·         Global Climate Change,
·         Land-Sea Interface,
·         Ecosystem-based Management, and
·         Poverty and Globalization

Cross-cutting issues encompass topics of global relevance and  
importance to marine conservation that relate to the major themes.

Cross cutting issues include:

     * Marine Protected Areas
     * Education, Outreach and Capacity Building
     * Governance Arrangements
     * Fisheries and Aquaculture
     * Economics

We anticipate that cross-cut issues will result in proposals on a  
variety of sub-topics.  Potential topics include but are not limited  
to:  networks and system development, MPA and MPA network monitoring  
and evaluation, high seas impacts, ocean resource use and planning,  
international instruments and trans-boundary relations, human/animal
impacts, ecological impacts of ocean acidification, technology,  
stakeholder involvement, indigenous issues, improving public ocean  
knowledge, incorporating traditional and local knowledge into decision  
making, and valuing marine ecosystem services.

In an attempt to tackle the most pressing issues currently facing  
marine conservation, IMCC will host exciting plenary talks and  
solicited creative submissions for interactive symposia and workshops.  
The conservation community will be challenged to go beyond the typical  
communication of data and propose symposia and/or workshops where  
talks will be followed by lively, participatory discussions to address  
a controversial topic or develop innovative solutions to a current  
conservation challenge. Individuals are limited to presenting only one  
symposium, workshop, oral, speed, or poster presentation. If your name  
appears on more than one abstract, make sure you are listed as the  
presenter for only one of them.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS will be limited to 15 minutes: 12 minutes for  
presentation and 3 minutes for questions.  Contributed oral  
presentations will be grouped by theme and topic. Please choose from  
the list of themes and general topic areas below.  This will assist us  
in selecting an appropriate session for your presentation.  If your  
abstract is accepted but cannot be accommodated as an oral  
presentation, we may offer you the opportunity to present a poster.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Poster presenters will receive general instructions on poster format  
in the email notification of acceptance. Posters will be displayed  
prominently and for the entire meeting; special sessions dedicated to  
posters will allow in-depth discussion between authors and attendees.

SPEED PRESENTATIONS
If your paper topic would be of interest to a wide range of people and  
you would like your presentation to lead to an extended conversation  
with colleagues who are specifically interested in your work, you may  
wish to submit an abstract for a speed presentation. In the first hour  
of a speed presentation session, 15 speakers will be given four (4)  
minutes each to present their key ideas and results. In the second  
hour, presenters will station themselves at separate tables where they  
can interact with people who are interested in learning more about  
their work.

PLENARY SPEAKERS

Dr. Daniel Pauly, Dr. Ratana Chuenpagdee, Dr. Rod Fujita, Dorothy
Childers and Alexandra Cousteau.

Dr. Callum Roberts will be giving the Dr. Ransom A. Myers Memorial
Lecture at the evening banquet on May 24th.

PAPER SUBMISSION PROCEDURES

Please go to www.conbio.org/IMCC

IMPORTANT DATES

1st Call for oral presentations, speed presentations, and posters:

1 September - 15 October 2008, decisions by 30 November 2008

2nd Call for 1500 word submissions (for submissions accepted at the
first call only):

1 December 2008 - 15 January 2009, decisions by 1 February 2009

Early bird registration:

15 November 2008 – 15 February 2009

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

We encourage proposals from individuals or groups involved in cutting
edge conservation science or practice who can demonstrate an alignment
with the goals of the Society for Conservation Biology and the SCB
Marine Section, which are:

     * Conservation Science: The scientific research and knowledge  
needed to understand and conserve biological diversity is identified,  
funded, completed, disseminated and applied to research, management  
and policy.
     * Conservation Management: Conservation practitioners and  
managers are provided the scientific information and recommendations  
needed to conserve biological diversity at all scales.
     * Policy: Policy decisions of major international conventions,  
governments, organizations, and foundations, are effectively informed  
and improved by the highest quality scientific counsel, analysis, and  
recommendations so as to advance the conservation of biological  
diversity.
     * Education: Education, training, and capacity building programs  
are identified, strengthened, and developed to inform the public,  
education leaders, and support current and future generations of  
conservation scientists and practitioners.

Individuals may submit more than one proposal; however, no individual  
may give more than one presentation in the following categories:  
symposium, workshop, oral presentation, speed presentation, or poster.

Reviewers have access to the entire abstract except the names of the  
presenters. To increase the probability that your abstract will be  
accepted, and in your preferred format, please consider the following  
criteria carefully:

    1. scientific merit
    2. application to marine conservation/management
    3. relevance to chosen theme/cross-cutting issue(s)
    4. relevance to IMCC theme (“From science to management and policy”)
    5. clarity of presentation (e.g. abstract begins with a clear
statement of an issue and ends with a substantive conclusion)

Please note:  We do require that all presenters register for the IMCC  
by the end of early bird registration: 15 February 2009.

TRAVEL GRANTS

To encourage international and student participation, we will offer  
the opportunity to apply for grants to offset travel and other expenses.
Please go to the following website: http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/imcc/travel_award.html

MENTORING PROGRAM

To encourage participation of members whose first language is not  
English, we will offer a mentoring service for participants who wish  
to submit abstracts for oral, speed or poster presentations.If you  
want to take advantage of this mentoring program, simply submit an  
abstract according to the standard guidelines; indicate that English  
is not your first language, and that you would like your abstract to  
be mentored. Instructions will be sent to your email address after you  
submit your abstract online. A mentor will contact you and provide  
guidance on grammar and clarity of writing. The mentor also will  
ensure that the abstract meets the technical criteria for submission.  
Note that it is NOT the role of the mentor to provide scientific  
guidance, or to write the abstract.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Please email IMCCprogram at conbio.org

John A. Cigliano, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Biological Sciences
Cedar Crest College
http://www.cedarcrest.edu/biology

Chair, International Marine Conservation Congress
http:/conbio.org/IMCC

(V) 610.606.4666, X3702
(F) 610.606.4616