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Introduction | Symposium Videos | Presenters | Public Forum Videos |
Please join us at the Coral Reefs in a Changing Environment symposium in Canberra
A symposium celebrating the birth, development and achievements of coral reef sciences will be held at the Shine Dome in Canberra on 7th and 8th October. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies will be presenting the conference program with assistance from the Australian Academy of Science and The Royal Society, which is celebrating its 350th anniversary. The Canberra symposium will incorporate presentations by members of both national academies and the ARC Centre of Excellence and provide an insight into the future of these iconic ecosystems.
The Royal Society has a long history of involvement with research on the Great Barrier Reef. In 1928 they sponsored C. M. Yonge to lead an expedition to the Lowe Isles off Port Douglas in northern Queensland. This was the world's first detailed scientific study of coral and coral reefs. Less than 100 year later, Australian coral reef science and reef management lead the world, and every year close to 200 international scientists travel to the Great Barrier Reef to pursue their research.
2010 is also the International Year of Biodiversity. Coral reef biodiversity underpins the critically important functions and services performed by reef ecosystems, such as sustaining the productivity of fish stocks on which many tropical nations depend for their food security and future development. The latest science on understanding and managing coral reef biodiversity will be a feature of the symposium program.
Objectives
Our objectives are to:
- celebrate the birth, development and emergence of coral reef sciences.
- present the latest science which supports the sustainable management of coral reefs, in Australia and globally.
Themes
Key issues will include:
- history of coral reef research in Australia from early Royal Society expeditions to the present
- coral reef biodiversity
- climate change adaptation and acclimatisation
- ocean acidification
- coral reef fishes: ecology, conservation and management
- sustainable reef management and conservation planning
Who should attend
Four events are scheduled:
- A 2-day symposium on 7th and 8th October with over 30 presentations by leading scientists and policy makers. The symposium is aimed at a general audience of scientists in related fields, natural resource managers, conservationists, and policy makers. The symposium will be held at the Shine Dome
- A public forum at National Museum of Australia at 5.30pm for a 6.30pm start, Thursday 7th October. Hosted by Robyn Williams, award-winning science writer and broadcaster, this event is for everyone: the general public, teachers and school children (older than about 10) as well as scientists, resource managers and policy-makers.
- An exhibition Exploration and Endeavour:The Royal Society of London and the South Seas celebrating the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Society of London to be held at the National Museum of Australia from September this year. The exhibition will feature items from the Royal Society's collection that relate to the early scientific exploration and documentation of the Australian continent and surrounding waters. Attendees at the public forum will have entry to the exhibition.
- A Royal Society Frontiers of Science meeting for invited early career researchers will beheld in Fremantle, Western Australia from Saturday 9th October to Wednesday 13th October
Speakers
The symposium will feature presentations from leading coral reef scientists and policy makers including:
- Professor Margaret Sheil, Australian Research Council, to open the symposium
- Professor Yossi Loya, Professor of Marine Biology, The Raynor Chair for Environmental Conservation Research, Tel Aviv University
- Dr Brian Walker, Research Fellow, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
- Professor Robert R. Warner, Professor of Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara
- Professor Terry Hughes FAA, Federation Fellow
- Professor Malcolm McCulloch FAA, FRS, Western Australia's Premier's Fellow
- Professor Bob Pressey, FAA
- Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Queensland Premier's Fellow
Registration
