[Coral-List] REMINDER: Proposals for “Beyond the Obituaries: Success Stories in Ocean Conservation” are due Monday, Dec. 15th.

[John Cigliano]

Background:

The International Marine Conservation Congress will take place in  
Washington, DC May 19th through the 24th 2009. The Smithsonian’s  
National Museum of Natural History will help kick-off the conference  
on a positive note with a one-day public program on May 20th entitled  
“Beyond the Obituaries: Success Stories in Ocean Conservation.” The  
event, organized by Nancy Knowlton and Jeremy Jackson, will highlight  
conservation efforts that are making a difference around the world,  
allow conservation professionals to learn from the success of others,  
and demonstrate to the public and policy makers that the situation is  
not hopeless. A reception and public talk by Dr. Daniel Pauly will  
follow.

Criteria:

We are looking for clear, tangible results. We are not looking for  
descriptions of public awareness campaigns (unless there are tangible  
behavior changes tied to them) or for accounts of legislative actions  
that have not yet played out in the real world. We seek proposals that  
go beyond describing conservation efforts (e.g. the establishment of  
an MPA) to describe successful outcomes (e.g. a rebound in target  
species within the MPA). We aim to have a diversity of proposals in  
terms of goals, ecosystems, strategies, and geography.

What to Send:

Please send one- to two-page proposals clearly outlining the success  
story you would like to present. Explain why this case study is  
noteworthy and how “success” has been measured.

Include your name and contact information, your organization, and your  
role in the case study you are presenting (e.g. are you an academic  
who has studied the rebound of a certain organism’s population, a  
resource manager who has implemented a local program, etc.).

Send proposals (due December 15th 2008) or questions to Christine  
Hoekenga: hoekengac at si.edu.

What to Expect:

You will be notified if your proposal has been selected by mid- 
January. If selected, you or someone from your project will be invited  
to present your success story at the symposium in May.

For more information on the International Marine Conservation  
Congress, visit: www.conbio.org/IMCC