Intl Marine Mammal Congress call for papers

[Jim Cummings <>]

The first call for proposals for "oral presentations, speed presentations, and posters" for the
International Marine Conservation Congress (incorporating IMPAC2) opens September 1, 2008. This
call will be opened from 1 September - 15 October 2008. Details for submittal can be found at the
conference website, http://www.conbio.org/IMCC

SCOPE:

The Marine Section of the Society for Conservation Biology will be hosting its first stand-alone
meeting, the International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC), from 20-24 May 2009 at George Mason
University near Washington D.C. This will be an interdisciplinary meeting that will engage natural
and social scientists, managers, policy-makers, and the public. The goal of the IMCC is to put
conservation science into practice through public and media outreach and the development concrete
products (e.g., policy briefs, blue ribbon position papers) that will be used to drive policy
change and implementation. This meeting will encompass the 2nd International Marine Protected Areas
Congress (IMPAC1 was held in Geelong, Australia in October 2005). The IMPAC2 component will consist
of an organized cross cutting issue within the IMCC addressing MPAs though the full range of
posters, papers, workshops and symposia.



IMCC encourages authors to submit papers that apply to the major themes and tracks below,
describing original work, including methods, techniques, applications, tools, issues, reporting
research results and/or indicating future directions.


Major themes that will be addressed include:

· Global Climate Change,

· the Land-Sea Interface,

· Ecosystem-based Management, and

· Poverty and Globalization

Cross-cutting issues encompass topics of global relevance and importance to marine conservation
that relate to the major themes.

Cross cutting issues include:

    * Marine Protected Areas
    * Education, Outreach and Capacity Building
    * Governance Arrangements
    * Fisheries and Aquaculture
    * Economics

We anticipate that cross-cut issues will result in proposals on a variety of sub-topics. Potential
topics include but are not limited to: networks and system development, MPA and MPA network
monitoring and evaluation, high seas impacts, ocean resource use and planning, international
instruments and trans-boundary relations, human/animal impacts, ecological impacts of ocean
acidification, technology, stakeholder involvement, indigenous issues, improving public ocean
knowledge, incorporating traditional and local knowledge into decision making, and valuing marine
ecosystem services.


In an attempt to tackle the most pressing issues currently facing marine conservation, IMCC will
host exciting plenary talks and solicit creative submissions for interactive symposia and
workshops. The conservation community will be challenged to go beyond the typical communication of
data and propose symposia and/or workshops where talks will be followed by lively, participatory
discussions to address a controversial topic or develop innovative solutions to a current
conservation challenge. Individuals are limited to presenting only one symposium, workshop, oral,
speed, or poster presentation. If your name appears on more than one abstract, make sure you are
listed as the presenter for only one of them.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS will be limited to 15 minutes: 12 minutes for presentation and 3 minutes for
questions. Contributed oral presentations will be grouped by theme and topic. Please choose from
the list of themes and general topic areas below. This will assist us in selecting an appropriate
session for your presentation. If your abstract is accepted but cannot be accommodated as an oral
presentation, we may offer you the opportunity to present a poster.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Poster presenters will receive general instructions on poster format in the email notification of
acceptance. Posters will be displayed prominently and for the entire meeting; special sessions
dedicated to posters will allow in-depth discussion between authors and attendees.

SPEED PRESENTATIONS
If your paper topic would be of interest to a wide range of people and you would like your
presentation to lead to an extended conversation with colleagues who are specifically interested in
your work, you may wish to submit an abstract for a speed presentation. In the first hour of a
speed presentation session, 15 speakers will be given four (4) minutes each to present their key
ideas and results. In the second hour, presenters will station themselves at separate tables where
they can interact with people who are interested in learning more about their work.

PLENARY SPEAKERS

Dr. Daniel Pauly, Dr. Ratana Chuenpagdee, Dr. Rod Fujita, Dorothy Childers and Alexandra Cousteau.

Dr. Callum Roberts will be giving the Dr. Ransom A. Myers Memorial Lecture at the evening banquet
on May 24th.

PAPER SUBMISSION PROCEDURES

Please go to www.conbio.org/IMCC

IMPORTANT DATES

1st Call for oral presentations, speed presentations, and posters:

1 September - 15 October 2008, decisions by 30 November 2008

2nd Call for 1500 word submissions (for submissions accepted at the first call only):

1 December 2008 - 15 January 2009, decisions by 1 February 2009

Early bird registration:

15 November 2008 ? 15 February 2009

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

We encourage proposals from individuals or groups involved in cutting edge conservation science or
practice who can demonstrate an alignment with the goals of the Society for Conservation Biology
and the SCB Marine Section, which are:

    * Conservation Science: The scientific research and knowledge needed to understand and conserve
biological diversity is identified, funded, completed, disseminated and applied to research,
management and policy.
    * Conservation Management: Conservation practitioners and managers are provided the scientific
information and recommendations needed to conserve biological diversity at all scales.
    * Policy: Policy decisions of major international conventions, governments, organizations, and
foundations, are effectively informed and improved by the highest quality scientific counsel,
analysis, and recommendations so as to advance the conservation of biological diversity.
    * Education: Education, training, and capacity building programs are identified, strengthened,
and developed to inform the public, education leaders, and support current and future generations
of conservation scientists and practitioners.

Individuals may submit more than one proposal; however, no individual may give more than one
presentation in the following categories: symposium, workshop, oral presentation, speed
presentation, or poster.

Reviewers have access to the entire abstract except the names of the presenters. To increase the
probability that your abstract will be accepted, and in your preferred format, please consider the
following criteria carefully:

   1. scientific merit
   2. application to marine conservation/management
   3. relevance to chosen theme/cross-cutting issue(s)
   4. relevance to IMCC theme (?From science to management and policy?)
   5. clarity of presentation (e.g. abstract begins with a clear statement of an issue and ends
with a substantive conclusion)

      Please note: We do require that all presenters register for the IMCC by the end of early bird
registration: 15 February 2009.

 TRAVEL GRANTS

To encourage international and student participation, we will offer the opportunity to apply for
grants to offset travel and other expenses. Please go to the following website:
http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/imcc/travel_award.html

MENTORING PROGRAM

To encourage participation of members whose first language is not English, we will offer a
mentoring service for participants who wish to submit abstracts for oral, speed or poster
presentations.
If you want to take advantage of this mentoring program, simply submit an abstract according to the
standard guidelines; indicate that English is not your first language, and that you would like your
abstract to be mentored.
Instructions will be sent to your email address after you submit your abstract online.
A mentor will contact you and provide guidance on grammar and clarity of writing. The mentor also
will ensure that the abstract meets the technical criteria for submission. Note that it is NOT the
role of the mentor to provide scientific guidance, or to write the abstract.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Please email 
-- Ellen Hines, PhD
Chair, Scientific Program, IMCC
Associate Professor
Department of Geography and Human Environmental Studies
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Ave
San Francisco, CA 94132

bss.sfsu.edu/ehines