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Happy Holidays from the Board
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This is our last newsletter for 2023, and we are happy to recount a little of the progress for SCB Europe made in 2023. We are also very
excited about the upcoming year and the ECCB 2024 in Bologna. ECCB 2024 is shaping up to be very special, with over 50 symposia, workshops and training courses. Abstract submission is still
open, so please consider joining us in Bologna. You’ll find details below.
One of the initiatives we are most proud of is our
new Diversity, Equity, Inclusiveness and Justice (DEIJ) Committee. DEIJ are core values of the SCB, and fostering DEIJ is a key initiative in creating an innovative and effective SCB Europe.
At a time when intolerance and injustice appears to be on the rise, upholding our core values becomes more important than ever. Without a diverse, equitable and inclusive society sustaining biodiversity will remain an elusive dream.
SCB Europe continues to develop our independent organization under the umbrella of SCB Global. We have a healthy membership and financial
status, and opportunities to grow and increase our impact for biodiversity conservation.
SCB Europe is an all-volunteer organization, so organizing events such as the ECCB, our Webinar, policy initiatives and other activities require the efforts of members like you.
The Board wishes to extend our thanks to all of the SCB Europe members who make a real difference for biodiversity.
We on the SCB Europe Board want to take this opportunity to wish you a peaceful winter season.
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New SCB Europe Board Members Elected
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We are pleased to welcome our
new Board member Michele Lussu
(University of Bologna, Italy) along with returning members Michelle Henley
(University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK), Katalin Pap
(Hungary), and Laura Bosco (Finnish Museum of Natural History, Finland). Please visit our
webpage
in the new year to read our new Board member’s bios.
We wish to say a heartfelt
thank you to Jonas Geldmann whose term ends in December. Thank you for your service and hard work over the past 6 years – we never could have accomplished our goals without your dedication to
the SCB Europe Section!
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Thank you to Jonas Geldmann
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We will reopen the call for nominations for President elect shortly after the new year.
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SCB Europe Fall Webinar 2023
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Biodiversity positive: an appetizer for ECCB 2024
From 20-24 November of last month, conservation scientists and practitioners came together online to share latest research findings, discuss,
and network during our SCB Europe Fall webinar of 2023. We held seven different sessions with contributions from 35 speakers, two keynote talks from Jenny Anne Glikman and Charlie Gardner,
and the annual SCB Europe members meeting.
With the ECCB 2024 theme “Biodiversity positive” in mind we learned and discussed topics ranging from rewilding in the Nordics, DEIJ principles
for SCB Europe, ecological restoration and it’s politics, exciting research from our Italy and Hungary chapters, societal aspects of connecting people with nature, and insights into the Carpathian Convention.
We thank the over
400 registered participants and speakers, from 40 different countries all over the world for an inspiring webinar week and appetizer for next year’s ECCB 2024 in Bologna! We hope to see you
there!
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ECCB 2024 in Bologna: Registration opens December 22nd
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We are happy to announce that
registration
for ECCB 2024 in Bologna will open soon!
The response to the call for symposia, workshops, and training courses has been overwhelming, reflecting the strong interest within the community.
Don't miss the opportunity to join this dynamic event and share your insights with a diverse and engaged audience!
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We encourage you to submit your abstract for oral presentations, posters, or speed talks before the
Call
for Abstracts closes on January 15, 2024. This is an excellent chance to showcase your research and be part of a vibrant international gathering.
Visit the beautiful ECCB 2024 website to find information on important dates and registration, plenary speakers, social program, tips for climate-friendly transportation
and much more!
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SCB Europe Distinguished Service Awards
The SCB Europe Board voted to approve two Distinguished Service Awards recommended by the ECCB 2024 Scientific Committee. The DSAs will be
awarded at ECCB 2024 in Bologna, where the recipients will deliver plenary lectures.
Congratulations to Nuria Selva and Clive Spash!
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Prof Nuria Selva Prof Clive Spash
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Nuria Selva is a conservation biologist and
Professor at the Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków. Her research deals with the impacts of global change on species, communities and ecosystems, with a particular focus on forest conservation, large carnivore ecology
and management, and roads asdrivers of global change. She conducted her PhD in Białowieża Forest on the role of scavenging in vertebrate communities. An important part of her work has focused on evaluating conservation actions and policies. She has advocated
and provided scientific support for the protection of Białowieża Forest and launched the Roadless Initiative together with her colleagues at the SCB-Europe Policy Committee. She is a member of the IUCN/SSC Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe and the Bear
Specialist Group and has served at the SCB Europe-Board of Directors.
Clive Spash is a Professor and Chair of Public
Policy and Governance at the Institute for Multi-Level Governance & Development, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business. His main interests are interdisciplinary research on human behaviour, environmental values and the transformation of the world
political economy to a more socially and environmentally just system.
Over 30 years, he has worked on a range of subject areas and topics from the economic impacts and control of acidic deposition through atmospheric
and plant science relating to urban pollution impacts on agriculture to the economics and ethics of human induced climate change and the plural values related to biodiversity. This has also involved moving away from mainstream environmental and resource economics,
looking at links with natural sciences, understanding applied ethics, exploring models of democracy and public participation in political science, and linking with social psychology to develop models of human behaviour and motivation. He has been been exploring
a philosophy of science that combines and accepts realism, sociology of science, critical analysis and deconstructs the fact-value dichotomy. He has pursued this interdisciplinary and integrative work within the context of ecological economics and more recently
through the evolving agenda of a politically aware and emancipatory “Social
Ecological Economics“.
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ECCB 2026: Call for Expression of Interest
While the 7th ECCB 2024 in Bologna is being planned, the Board of Directors of the SCB-Europe Section is now seeking expressions of interest
to host the 8th ECCB in 2026.
Expressions of interest should contain the following (max. 2 A4 pages):
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Year, proposed location and host organization
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Local organizers with contact details
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Accessibility, transport and infrastructure of the location, and a summary of conference facilities
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Information on academic partners
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Attractiveness of this location from a natural history and ecological perspective
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Information on how the venue can take leadership in environmentally friendly conferences
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Suggestion for the timing of the conference, with justification
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Special accommodation possibilities to attract student participants
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Host organizations must agree to take full financial responsibility in case of any loss
Please send Expressions of Interest to the
SCB
Europe Section Board
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Recent contributions from our Policy Committee members
Pierre Ibisch’s
Science
letter highlighting that EU policies are undermining environmental targets such as the Sustainable Development Goals, or the UN Global Biodiversity Framework.
Especially large economies should take a leading role in working towards reconciling human well-being with a substantial reduction in their ecological footprint:
In the same issue of Science Magazine,
Guy Pe’er and colleagues provide an excellent
summary
on the importance of the Nature Restoration Law with insights into the political procedure and current situation, links to existing policies and strategies,
and a critical analysis of the Law’s current key features. A “must-read” for all EU decision-makers!
Nuria Selva and colleagues react in their
Science
letter to the EU Commission’s claim that wolves pose a danger to livestock, and requesting any kind of related data for reviewing the wolf’s conservation status.
The authors highlight the importance of using FAIR (Findable,
Accessible, Interoperable,
Reusable) and evidence-based data to properly assess impacts of large carnivores on livestock for a successful coexistence and give insight into existing scientific knowledge on preventive measures.
Kati Vassiliki
et al. investigated the land take for wind power installations in their
recent
paper in the Journal of Environmental Management, finding that land take for wind power installations in Greece is three times higher than the global average,
attributed to the harsher topography. In the Mediterranean, there is no spatial planning for wind farms, as they are located more in mountains and forests than in other EU countries that preserve these ecosystems.
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We wish all SCB Europe Section members a happy and safe holiday season!
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