Many of you attended ICCB-ECCB, contributing to the largest meeting in the history of SCB. We met colleagues and friends, shared experiences and knowledge, and – most importantly – had a unique opportunity to see the dimensions of the SCB community, unifying a range of people who share a care for nature, concerns for its future, but also some valuable knowledge and tools to make a difference.
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ICCB-ECCB featured more than 1,000 talks, nearly 750 posters, and dozens of workshops, roundtables, and social events. Left to right: Attendees give a standing ovation at plenary debate between Peter Kareiva and Clive Spash; a bird's eye view of the poster session, student award finalists break for a group photo, and attendee-volunteers gather prior to the start of the Congress to help prep for registration. For more photos, visit the SCB flickr page. |
How can the excitement of ICCB-ECCB be taken now onwards? How can we use our energy to leverage further activities and more effective conservation? As a first follow up, here are some important and immediate tips:
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Register to a Section! If you are new to SCB, or simply not aware of the range of activities happening around your region of residence, activity or research, then you might want to log in to your SCB Member Home Page and check your account and make sure you tick the box to affiliate with one or more Sections.
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Join our committees! Each Section, as well as SCB-global, has a range of committees that are always on the lookout for more voluntary contributions. Whether a mid-career scientist or a student, an academic or professional, old or young: SCB Committees, as well as Section Committees, need enthusiastic people who wish to be part of our efforts to translate knowledge into action.
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Join a chapter or establish one! SCB increasingly seeks to link global knowledge with local action and vice versa. We wish to help local organizations and people to raise a voice when needed, or to demonstrate that a local conflict is representative of a greater problem. You might want to join forces with few other colleagues – be it around a geographic issue or thematic one; start meeting more regularly; and exchange with SCB at its higher levels.
- Share your story! While many of us put our efforts into scientific papers, the exchange of knowledge and experience may be valuable also through other mechanisms. The SCB News Blog and Facebook page could always benefit from people who wish to share their stories. So don’t be shy: we welcome you to bring us your story and communicate it with the others. Brainstorm, discuss, bring questions, announce a success, or just let others hear your voice.
As the Chair of the SCB Europe Section Communications Committee, I am on the lookout for contributions to the Europe Section blog as we are strive to start more regular, weekly updates. Our latest post from past Europe Section President Andras Baldi is a first-person account of his experiences at ICCB-ECCB and his impressions of the Congress.
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Carry messages onwards! While communication amongst SCB members is perhaps key to maintaining and facilitating our community, some messages might need to be carried to the “outer world”… These can be done through follow-up papers, press releases, or official letters; they can be done through existing or new Task Forces; or simply by bringing Press Releases to the media. Do not underestimate your contributions as individuals! If you have a post-ICCB press release to share, send it to Matt Herbert, SCB membership & communications assistant, and we'll add it to the ICCB-ECCB Media Releases page of the SCB News Blog.
- Stay in touch, and we’ll do the same! We are currently processing many tens of contributions made during ICCB-ECCB. If you wish to see some processes happening in SCB, email info@conbio.org.
Check out the ICCB-ECCB Twitter hashtag #ICCB2015 to learn more about what was discussed and shared at ICCB-ECCB.
Look for a complete recap of ICCB-ECCB in the next SCB Newsletter, due out on 22 September.
Author Bio
Guy Pe