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February 2015
Global land-use change: causes and consequences for biodiversity
Anthropogenic environmental changes, such as global land use and land cover change, driven by rapid human population growth and increasing demand for agricultural and forest products, are impacting the balance of the Earth system. This meeting will highlight the causes of land use and land cover change, investigate the impacts on biodiversity loss, ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services, and explore how non-market and public benefits, including wildlife conservation, can be incorporated into land-use planning.
Find out more »March 2015
Are economic growth and biodiversity conservation compatible?
Economic growth has undoubtedly improved human livelihoods yet has equally convincingly had negative effects on the environment. Scientists are considering introducing a new geologic epoch, the Anthropocene, to capture humanity’s impact on Earth’s ecosystems. . This debate will bridge developmental and ecological economics with political and environmental science to explore how humanity can manage economic growth and biodiversity conservation.
Find out more »April 2015
Flagship species for freshwater conservation
Freshwater ecosystems are essential to life on earth yet they receive little conservation attention and these efforts are poorly resourced. The meeting will highlight the importance of the integrity of the freshwater environment and the associated biodiversity by using three species-focussed case studies.
Find out more »The conservation science/policy interface: challenges and opportunities
Good communication between policy makers and scientists is a crucial requirement for developing policies that cost-effectively achieve measurable outcomes in conservation. Yet science and other forms of knowledge are not used effectively in policymaking; and policymakers do not always effectively inform scientists about their needs for scientific knowledge. Why is this so?
This event will bring together ecologists, conservation practitioners and policy-makers to discuss case-studies showing how science – policy interactions work in practice.
Authors for Animals – Andrew Motion ‘Consider the Seahorse’
Former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion considers the seahorse – a creature with a rich mythical history, whose existence is beautiful, mysterious, and yet precarious. The event will also feature a ZSL aquarist talking about seahorse habits and husbandry and a ZSL conservationist working on Project Seahorse supporting species and marine habitats worldwide.
Find out more »May 2015
Health and disease in translocated wild animals
Over the last 50 years, an increasing number of wild animal translocations have been undertaken for conservation purposes. This two-day symposium will review the impact of disease on species restoration through translocation, and consider lessons learned to guide effective planning and implementation of future translocation projects.
Find out more »July 2015
Wings of change
Long-term insect surveillance initiatives, such as the Rothamsted Insect Survey and the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, allow ongoing assessments of the conservation status of large numbers of insect species against a background of increasing environmental change. This meeting will highlight the key findings from long-term insect surveys, including a 50-year monitoring project for British moths and butterflies.
Find out more »September 2015
Animal Showoff
Like the idea of Science Showoff but wish there were more animals? You’re in luck! Animal Showoff is a special series of charity fundraising gigs we run with zoos, natural history museums and animal-lovers. Come and hear experts in every type of fauna make funny about the animals they know and love. Or hate. 9TH SEPTEMBER – ZSL education centre Join us for a night of vulture conservation, raising money to keep these stalwarts of portentous shots from westerns (the…
Find out more »Dave Goulson ‘The Bees Knees’
Chaired by Poet and ZSL Council member Ruth Padel Professor Dave Goulson author of Sunday Times bestseller A Sting in the Tale and 2014’s A Buzz in the Meadow joins a ZSL Bee Keeper in ZSL London Zoo B.U.G.S to talk on bees, their significance, the threats they face, and why they are The Bees Knees. For more information on Dave Goulson: https://twitter.com/davegoulson The event begins with a drinks reception at 6pm Books will be available to buy and sign courtesy of…
Find out more »Making London Nature Smart – One Day Symposium
Hosted by the Zoological Society of London. 24th September 2015 9.30-6pm Organised by ZSL, Imperial College's Grand Challenges in Ecosystems and the Environment initiative, and the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, UCL. London is not just a world-class capital city, leading the way in finance and politics, the arts and culture, but its landscape is recognised as amongst one of the world's most important urban habitats; green, blue and open spaces comprise over 60% of the city. London has over 1,300…
Find out more »December 2015
What is the future for beavers in Britain?
Could beavers be successfully re-established in Britain and what affect would they have on local biodiversity? Beavers are ecosystem engineers which, by building dams and channels, create and maintain wetlands. Through these activities, beavers have the potential to increase local biodiversity, reduce downstream flooding, and improve water quality. In Britain, beavers were hunted to extinction hundreds of years ago. Recent interest in rewilding has led to a number of small-scale beaver restoration projects. The outcomes of these projects, combined with…
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