Dear ASC’ers,
Here is a rundown on the December bulletin celebrating the International Year of Biodiversity (IYOB) and sent on behalf of the Council of Australian Museum Directors.
You can view the full bulletin online at http://www.scienceinpublic.com/blog/bulletins/biodiversity-bulletin/december2010.
If you are in Canberra next week, join us at CSIRO’s Discovery Centre for a reception and public forum to celebrate the achievements of the International Year of Biodiversity.
The key news stories from the bulletin are:
Sustaining biodiversity: the next 50 years – Public events Join the Ecological Society of Australia at its conference, Sustaining biodiversity: the next 50 years, at the Australian National University, Canberra. If you can’t make the public forum there is also a film night on Thursday 9 December. More details and registration at http://www.esa2010.org.au/publiclecture.html
Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010-2030 released Released by the Australian Government on 27 October, the strategy is a guiding framework for conserving Australia’s biodiversity. It outlines the current crisis of declining biodiversity, and sets priorities for actions which will:
· engage all Australians in biodiversity conservation;
· build ecosystem resilience in a changing climate; and
· produce measurable results You can read or download the strategy from http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/strategy/index.html.
Update: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities In September 2010, the Commonwealth department responsible for biodiversity had its name changed and received a new Minister. It’s now the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPC), and is responsible to The Hon. Tony Burke, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and Senator The Hon. Don Farrell, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water. Find out more at http://www.environment.gov.au/index.html.
Margaret Wertheim – Live 21 December 2010, The Age Theatre, Melbourne Museum Margaret Wertheim, science writer and co-creator of The Melbourne Reef-a satellite of the worldwide Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Project created in 2005-will be presenting a public talk at the Melbourne Museum. For more information visit http://melbournesatellitereef.blogspot.com/
UN Climate Change Conference Mexico is hosting the 16th Conference of the Parties for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 29 November to 10 December. Among key issues being discussed will be the challenge of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation by rewarding developing nations for protecting, restoring and sustainably managing forests. This may be one of the cheapest ways to cut global greenhouses gases and is also important for biodiversity. More information at http://unfccc.int/2860.php
Forest Day Forest Day 4 will take place on 5 December 2010, alongside the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 16th Conference of the Parties in Cancún, Mexico. More than 1800 participants will attend the day which is themed Time to Act. Forest Day 4 aims to highlight the urgency of ensuring the survival of the world’s forests, the biodiversity they embrace and the hundreds of millions of people who depend on them. The event will serve as a bridge between the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity and the 2011 International Year of Forests. More information at http://www.forestsclimatechange.org
XVIII International Botanical Congress (IBC) 24-30 July 2011, Melbourne, Australia Australia has a vibrant scientific community active across all botanical disciplines and its researchers play a prominent and highly collaborative role in international biological sciences. Australia’s botanical community is eager to welcome colleagues from around the world to the 2011 IBC for an intellectually stimulating and socially memorable occasion. For further details see http://www.ibc2011.com/. Registration is now open.
Biodiversity events around the country In total, there are 21 events taking place around the country over the month including the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand’s end-of-year party in Sydney (non-members welcome); an exhibition of mammals, birds and reptiles from around the world at the Melbourne Museum; biodiversity at sea and the Port River dolphins at the South Australian Maritime Museum; and more.
And have you visited the biodiversity website lately? You can find out what would you look like as a snail, fish or bat with Monkey Me! Try it out at www.biodiversity2010.org.au/?monkeyme.
Thank you for supporting the International Year of Biodiversity. We hope you have had the opportunity to participate in a range of events over the year.
For full details of events and activities near you, and visit www.biodiversity2010.org.au. The website is open for events, blogs, essays, photos and more. Please use it to promote your own events and ideas. It is the only source of event listings for this bulletin.
We are keen to communicate with anyone with an interest in biodiversity. Please pass this bulletin on to others you think might like to receive it.
Our next bulletin will be in January and will include a wrap of the achievements of the Year.
Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for the New Year
Teresa and Valerie Coordinators, International Year of Biodiversity (Australia) Teresa Belcher (teresa.belcher@museum.wa.gov.au | tel: 08 9212 3760) Valerie Gregory (valerie.gregory@austmus.gov.au | tel: 02 9320 6342) http://www.biodiversity2010.org.au
This bulletin has been sent by Science in Public, on behalf of the Council of Australasian Museum Directors (CAMD) and the International Year of Biodiversity Coordinators. International Year Of Biodiversity 2010 is an initiative of the Council of Australasian Museum Directors, funded with assistance from the Science Connections Program within the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.
Kind regards,
Niall ________
Niall Byrne
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