www.atbcasia.org

The Asia-Pacific chapter of the Association forTropical Biology & Conservation will hold its 2008 annual conference at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia from 23rd-26th April 2008. The meeting is being held in association with the Japanese Society for Tropical Ecology, and is hosted by Sarawak Forestry Corporation. Launched in 1963, the aims of Association for Tropical Biology & Conservation are to promote research and foster communication among biologists working in tropical environments. In 2006 the ATBC launched an Asia-Pacific Chapter to further these objectives in the region. Kuching 2008 will be our second annual meeting, and we are very glad to be able to arrange this as a joint meeting with the Japanese Society for Tropical Ecology.

“Towards sustainable land-use in tropical Asia” was selected as the conference theme to reflect the pressing need in tropical Asia, with its burgeoning populations and increasing levels of consumption, to find solutions to the overexploitation of biological resources, both for human security and to achieve a harmonious coexistence with nature.

Proposed symposia include:

· Biological consequences of climate change in tropical Asia

· Wild fires: Problems and potential solutions

· Biological conservation in fragmented tropical landscapes

· Ecology and conservation of peat swamp forests

· Sustainable use of coastal bioresources in tropical Asia

Proposals for symposia should be sent to;

atbc_asia@yahoo.com

Welcome addresses will be given by

Dr Pierre-Michel Forget, ATBC President,

and

Dr Isamu Yamada, JASTE President.

With keynote presentations by;

Dr Susan Hartley

University of Sussex, UK

- Plant-animal interactions in Borneo,

Dr Jeffery Vincent

Duke University, USA

- Economic valuation of biodiversity

Dr William Laurance

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute,

Panama

- Effects of fragmentation in the tropics

Dr Priya Davidar

Pondicherry University, India

-         Conservation priorities in Asia.

           Papers are invited!

Please submit symposia proposals and abstracts (300-500 words) to

atbc_asia@yahoo.com.

Conference registration should be made online at www.atbcasia.org.

Registration opens 1st Nov 2007

Symposia proposals deadline, 1st Jan 2008

Deadline for abstracts, 1st Mar 2008

Deadline for early registration, 1st Mar 2008

Oral presentations are 15 mins, with 3 mins for questions, and posters should fit within a space

of 70 cm wide x 120 cm tall. The best student abstracts will be entitled to financial assistance, and prizes are awarded for the best presentations.

Registration fees	ATBC Member	Non- Member
Developing country	US$200	US$250
Developed country	US$250	US$300
The best student abstracts will receive financial assistance
There will be a 20% surcharge for late registrations

Statistics and paper writing course

In association with the conference the ATBC Asia-Pacific chapter will be holding a statistics and paper writing course for graduate students from 28th April-4th May. Applications should be made to atbc_asia@yahoo.com. Participants are expected to present a paper at the conference.

Excursions

Borneo’s lofty forests have long held an almost magical appeal to biologists. Alfred Russel Wallace penned his famous ‘Sarawak law’ while a guest of the first Raja Brooke of Sarawak and Odorio Beccari reminisced on his travels among the natives in his classic

‘Wanderings in the Great Forests of Borneo’.  Kuching, moreover, was the inspiration for Joseph Conrad’s ‘Lord Jim’, and continues to charm travellers today, whether one wishes to shop for indigenous art on the main bazzar, browse through the award-winning Sarawak Museum, or simply watch the Kuching River slip by while noshing on some local laksa (curried noodles). Nearby, one can visit great examples of those lofty Bornean rain forests. Excursions are being organised through Borneo Adventure to Gunung Gading (daytrip), Bako (3 days, 2 nights), and Lambir Hills - Mulu World Heritage Site (5 days, 4 nights). Proceeds from the excursions will help fund the student financial awards. For further details please refer to the website at www.atbcasia.org

Organising Committee

Dr Rusea Go (chair, ATBC Asia-Pacific)

Ms Lucy Chong (Forest Research Centre, SFC)

Scientific Committee

Co-chairs:-

Dr Rhett Harrison (ATBC Asia-Pacific)

Dr Shigeo Abe (JASTE)

Committee:-

Dr Priya Davidar (Pondicherry University)

Dr Jin Chen (XTBG)

Dr Shoko Sakai (Kyoto University)

Dr Steve Turton (James Cook University)

Dr Tommaso Savini (King Monguts Uni. Tech.)

This conference is being organised as a carbon-neutral event.

Carbon-offsets will be used for local conservation projects.

Join ATBC today www.atbio.org !

“Towards sustainable land-use in tropical Asia”

 a conference of the

Association for Tropical Biology & Conservation, Asia-Pacific Chapter and the Japanese Society for Tropical Ecology

hosted by Sarawak Forestry Corporation

23rd-26th April 2008 Holiday Inn Kuching, Sarawak

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