Chancellor Roger Brown has announced that UTC will be the host institution for the 2008 Society for Conservation Biology convention. The Society for Conservation Biology has more than 10,000 members representing 140 nations. Past conferences have been held in China, South Africa, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and other major cities in the United States.
“This conference is scheduled to bring more than 1,700 scientists and policy makers from around the world to Chattanooga in July 2008, and organizers are expecting several announcements of significant importance to the world’s conservation efforts,” said Brown.
The theme for the conference is “From the Mountains to the Sea.” Topics may include climate issues, freshwater biodiversity, sustainable fisheries, freshwater use and conservation. Symposia, workshops and discussion groups will be decided by the end of the 2007. Registration will begin at the end of January.
“The scientists and policy makers who will attend this event will likely be in the area for weeks; many attendees make this conference their family vacation,” said Dr. David Aborn, faculty member of the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences. “There will be three to four days of workshops before the conference begins, and several days of field trips after.”
Aborn will serve as the chair of the meeting, which will be held at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen is scheduled to attend the event, according to Aborn.
The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) is an international professional organization dedicated to promoting the scientific study of the phenomena that affect the maintenance, loss, and restoration of biological diversity.
SCB is the leading voice for the study of the scientific phenomena that affect biodiversity conservation, publishing the flagship peer-reviewed journal of the field, Conservation Biology. The Society is dedicated to linking conservation science, management, policy, and education with its award-winning magazine, Conservation. Affiliated publications
include Biological Conservation and Pacific Conservation Biology.