All the latest news from this week’s BES Annual Meeting (taking place until lunchtime on 9th September at the University of Leeds) is available on the BES Annual Meeting Blog. We’ve been making a splash in the media with features from the conference, with stories on migratory birds, bumblebees and marine renewable energy all hitting the headlines over the past few days.

Don’t forget that you can also stay up to date with news from the conference by following us on Twitter. Search for #bes2010.

The British Ecological Society’s annual meeting begins today at the University of Leeds. The meeting is Europe’s largest gathering of ecologists. Hundreds of scientific papers will be presented at the meeting. Highlights include:

The BES Lecture, given by Professor Andrew Watkinson, director of Living with Environmental Change and former director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia.
Society faces a range of challenges from climate change to biodiversity conservation. Addressing these challenges demands a robust evidence framework for action. In addition, research increasingly needs to be seen to stimulate the economy, particularly the green economy. In his lecture, entitled Making a difference: research with impact, Professor Watkinson will examine how researchers should respond to these challenges.

In his Presidential Address, BES President Professor Charles Godfray will discuss Mosquitoes, malaria and ecology, arguing that ecology is critical for successfully controlling diseases spread by insects. We know surprisingly little about the ecology of major insect vectors of malaria in Africa, what they eat and how their populations are regulated. Professor Godfray will describe recent novel ideas for controlling mosquito vectors of malaria, and explore how ecological sciences can assist in their deployment.

Ecologists will report new findings on how inbreeding among bumblebees in the Western Isles of Scotland could be increasing their risk of extinction; explain why white-clawed crayfish from running water are thinner than those living in still water – information vital to saving this species from extinction in England and Wales; and reveal new ways of monitoring the impacts of Wave Hub, a site off Cornwall where wave energy converters are tested.

The BES team will be blogging from the annual meeting, at http://britishecologicalsociety.org/blog/2010am/. You can also follow news from the meeting on Twitter (#BES2010).

Do you want to increase the impact of your research?

The BES maintains a database of over 500 ecologists who are prepared to comment upon a range of ecological issues. Members of the BES are now able to join them by registering your expertise via our *new online questionnaire*.

Do you want your science to inform decisions which shape society? Is it important to you that policies are evidence-based? Are you looking for ways to communicate the excitement of your research to the public?

By joining the BES expertise database you can make sure that you are kept informed of all the opportunities that the Society can offer to increase the wider impact of your research.

– Find out about workshops and events
– Contribute to a briefing, consultation or inquiry on a topic you are passionate about.
– Be first in line when the media contacts the BES, looking for a comment

The online questionnaire consists of 19 questions and should take no more than 10 minutes of your time.

The BES is now recruiting for a Policy Intern, to join the BES Policy Team in Lonodon for two days each week for up to three months. The internship will begin in October. This opportunity is unpaid but the BES will reimburse travel expenses within London and cover lunch costs of up to £5 per day.

Full details of this position and how to apply are available on the BES website.

Applications close at 9.00am on Friday 17th September.

Interviews will be held on Friday 1st October.

A group led by Professor Bill Sutherland at Cambridge University has identified the top 25 issues in conservation in greatest need of attention from policy-makers; either through the production of new or amendments to existing policy. The group, representing governmental organisations, NGOs and academia, focused on those areas where there may be options to fill gaps, improve implementation or where new research may be required. The result was a long-list of 117 issues, honed to 25 through a two-day workshop and a voting process. Sutherland et. al. intend that the list be of use to amongst others, policy-makers, providing knowledge on areas in need of attention and the policy options which may be available to address these areas and researchers, who can use the paper as a guide to policy-relevant, scientific questions which could form the focus of research efforts.

Issues identified in the paper cover both terrestrial and marine environments, ranging from protected areas and climate change, to habitat banking, restoring floodplain functionality for nature conservation and ecosystem services, peatland restoration, nanotechnology, marine spatial planning and non-native invasive species.

To take ‘protected areas’ as an example of the authors’ approach, Sutherland et.al. identify that the management of protected sites was developed at a time when landscape-change was generally directly human-induced and was therefore largely controllable. How should these areas be managed now, given the indirect and unpredictable effects of climate change? Policy options given include designating sites now which are likely to make an important biodiversity contribution in the future. The authors then identify a number of research questions, including the need to investigate what site properties enable widlife resilience under climate change.

The authors acknowledge in the discussion section that ‘ecosystem services’ is a thread running throughout the paper, and recognise that the future of biodiversity conservation will embrace this approach. Therefore they call on policy-makers and the research community to explore how policy instruments promoting ecosystem conservation can best be directed to maximise benefits for biodiversity.

The authors recommend that the exercise be repeated for the UK every five years and encourage other countries to carry out a similar activity.

Sutherland, W. J., Albon, S. D., Allison, H., Armstrong-Brown, S., Bailey, M. J., Brereton, T., Boyd, I. L., Carey, P., Edwards, J., Gill, M., Hill, D., Hodge, I., Hunt, A. J., Le Quesne, W. J. F., Macdonald, D. W., Mee, L. D., Mitchell, R., Norman, T., Owen, R. P., Parker, D., Prior, S. V., Pullin, A. S., Rands, M. R. W., Redpath, S., Spencer, J., Spray, C. J., Thomas, C. D., Tucker, G. M., Watkinson, A. R. and Clements, A. , REVIEW: The identification of priority policy options for UK nature conservation. Journal of Applied Ecology, no. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01863.x

Organisations around the UK are preparing to celebrate International Biodiversity Day, taking place tomorrow, 22 May. Celebrations began in Wales yesterday, with the start of a three day festival to highlight biodiversity to the public and to encourage individuals to ‘do one thing’ for nature. The BES and Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM) joined a range of organisations at the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, for the launch of the event, exhibiting materials to museum visitors.

Jane Davidson, Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing at the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), delivered a speech to exhibitors and invited guests, in which she highlighted the Government’s track record in conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services in Wales. However, the Minister made it clear that the ecological community couldn’t underestimate the challenge of keeping in place some of the structures set up for species monitoring and conservation, given the difficult economic climate. However, the Minister assured the audience that she would do all she could to ensure that the importance of biodiversity is recognised across the WAG.

Both the Minister, and Rhys Jones, a BBC wildlife television presenter who gave a brief address after Jane Davidson’s speech, emphasised the importance of communicating the importance of biodiversity to the public at large. Rhys Jones said that ‘people look at biodiversity through giant binoculars’, understanding biodiversity as something that is ‘elsewhere’; on African plains or tropical rainforests. People do not appreciate the diversity of life around them; in their own back gardens for example. Jane Davidson emphasised the need to ‘keep the vision positive’, highlighting the challenges faced by biodiversity but in such a way as to engage, not alienate people, with the scale of the problem.

The BES and IEEM took the opportunity to launch a copy of our position statement on ‘halting UK biodiversity loss’, in Welsh. You can download a copy from our website.

International Biodiversity Day

Tomorrow, a range of activities will take place around the UK and around the globe, highlighting and raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity to our lives. The Natural History Museum, London, is organising a full day of events, including theatre and art performances and the production of a biodiversity day themed elephant for the ‘Elephant Parade’. The Guardian has today published its top ten picks of events from around the world. To find out more about events near you in the UK, access the International Year of Biodiversity UK network website.

The Green Party recently won its first set in Westminster when Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP for the South East was elected with a majority of just over 1200 votes in the Brighton Pavilion constituency. Ms Lucas highlighted her party’s policy priorities in a recent press release, which included “responding to climate change with a million new ‘green’ jobs in low-carbon industries, fair pensions and care for older people, and stronger regulation of the banks”. The Green Party’s manifesto included the following proposals:

On food and farming: local, organic and GM-free foods are emphasised, alongside reform of the CAP to support small farms and phase out intensive and factory farming. Common Fisheries Policy reform, and proper financing to implement the Marine and Coastal Access Act is also highlighted as a means to protect the oceans.

In conservation policy: landscape-scale conservation is promoted, via reform of the CAP and planning system to encourage habitat restoration. The Greens continue to oppose the unelected Planning Commission and stress the need to place sustainability at the core of the planning system. Further regulation is encouraged, including an extension of the Natura 2000 network and the establishment of a new Environmental Protection Commission to integrate environment and public health research. Traditional Green Party issues also remain in the spotlight, including crackdowns on illegal wildlife trade and whaling, and an extension of animal welfare legislation.

On sustainable development: opposition to airport expansion is combined with proposals for aviation taxation and the prioritisation of rail travel. On energy, nuclear expansion, biofuels cultivation and new coal power stations are opposed, in favour of smart meters, feed-in tariffs and planning policies to support renewables, including renewable heat.

Ms Lucas hosted a member of BES in the European Parliament as part of the Society’s Parliamentary Shadowing Scheme this year, in her capacity as an MEP. As she moves into Westminster politics it will be interesting to monitor the advancement of Green Party policies within parliament.

The National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, will next week host a celebration of the diversity of the Welsh natural environment. Beginning on Thursday, 20th May, with an event for policy-makers and invited guests, the event will then continue right through Saturday, the International Day for Biodiversity, with activities and events for the public.

The event will launch a partnership programme between over 20 organisations active in raising awareness about, and conserving, biodiversity in Wales. From charities to museums, wildlife trusts and colleges, partner organisations will be present at the event, aiming to increase awareness of the significance of safeguarding the amazing diversity of life on our planet and encourage others to pledge to ‘Do One Thing’ to help the cause.

Jane Davidson AM, Minister for the Environment, Sustainability and Housing at the Welsh Assembly Government, will deliver a speech at the Museum on Thursday, stressing the importance of biodiversity as an essential element for our health and well-being, our economy and ultimately our lives.

The focus of the public events will be on highlighting what people can do on their own doorstep to prevent biodiversity loss, ultimately contributing to the world-wide target (through the Convention on Biological Diversity) to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss across the globe.

The BES and the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management will together display a stand at the event, highlighting to policy-makers our position statement on halting UK biodiversity loss and supplying material to members of the public interested in pursuing a career in ecology. Both organisations are members of the International Year of Biodiversity UK partnership.

Further information about the events and activities on offer is available from the website of the National Museum of Wales

The deadline for applications to take part in the second BES – NERC Science Policy Interactions workshop is rapidly approaching. There are now only two working days left before the deadline of 5pm, 16th April 2010.

The workshop is taking place on 18th – 19th May at the Defra Innovation Centre, Reading. The BES and NERC will cover the cost of accomodation and a networking dinner for all participants.

This workshop is aimed at early career researchers who are members of the BES and/ or funded by NERC and is aimed at supporting attendees’ science to policy activities through:

- Provision of information about means of engagement with policy and how this can best proceed, with some sessions including input from Defra and Environment Agency policymakers

- An opportunity to practice communication skills

- Establishment of a science – policy professional network to facilitate ongoing science to policy discussion and sharing of best practice

The workshop itself is funded by NERC and BES, including accommodation in Reading for one night, refreshments for both days and a dinner on the evening of 18th May. Travel costs are not covered by NERC and BES. Further information and an application form are available from http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/policy/policy_training.php. If you require further information, please contact Lesley Aspinall at NERC (e-mail laa@nerc.ac.uk)

Apply for the 2010 Fellowship at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). Spend three-months in Westminster researching and writing a POSTnote for MPs and Peers or contribute to a parliamentary inquiry. The BES will provide a £5,000 bursary to support your living costs in London. This is open to all second and third year PhD students at a UK university, studying for an ecologically-relevant PhD.

To find out more and for details of how to apply, see the Public Policy section of the British Ecological Society’s website, under ‘Getting Involved‘.