About the meeting
The 2011 International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC) represents the second stand-alone marine conservation meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology's (SCB) Marine Section. The first IMCC in Washington DC, 2009, attracted over 1200 participants. This landmark Congress will serve to unite the marine conservation community and develop new and powerful tools to further marine conservation science and policy.
The IMCC is aimed at advancing marine conservation by facilitating discussion among scientists, managers and policy makers and developing science-based products that inform policy change and implementation. To meet this objective, the IMCC will include plenaries, contributed presentations and posters, symposia, workshops, focus groups and debates. During interactive symposia and workshops, participants will go beyond one-way communication by developing innovative solutions to current conservation challenges. Symposia will include a select group of speakers and creative discussion. Focus groups will consist of multi-disciplinary teams focused on crafting policy and management recommendations, briefings, white papers or peer-reviewed publications.
Attendees
The IMCC will be international and interdisciplinary and include representatives from science, management, policy, and public sectors. As with the SCB Global Meeting, the IMCC will unite conservation professionals and students from universities, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, environmental industries, private foundations, and organizations, and publications. Dialogue among these diverse sectors will be encouraged through the interactive meeting format.
Our Venues
The Victoria Conference Centre
The Victoria Conference Centre was chosen as our venue for the main congress program. In the heart of downtown Victoria, British Columbia, across from the spectacular Inner Harbour, the Victoria Conference Centre is conveniently located within walking distance of all downtown hotels and restaurants. It has also been recognized as one of Victoria's most sustainable buildings. It was awarded the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada's level 3 certification for BOMA BESt (Building Environmental Standards) which recognizes excellence in environmental management and performance.
Located directly across the street from the Victoria Conference Centre, the adjacent historic Crystal Gardens facility will host our exhibition hall, coffee breaks, and poster session receptions. This heritage building originally opened in 1925 as the largest salt water swimming pool in the Empire, and housed leafy tea gardens and two dance floors. In later years the building was home to exotic animals and tropical gardens. The Victoria Conference Centre has restored the facility to its former glory through an extensive renovation of the space to create 25,000 sq. ft. exhibit hall with an overlooking reception mezzanine, built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.
The University of Victoria
The University of Victoria is hosting our pre and post congress workshops in four buildings conveniently located within the inner ring: the Cornett, MacLaurin, David Strong, and Social Science and Math buildings <Click for Map>. The University is connected to downtown by 5 bus routes , and on-campus housing is available for those choosing to stay on campus prior to, or following the meeting <Click here for UVic Pre/Post Housing Information>.
The University of Victoria is a walkable, green campus committed to integrating sustainability into their teaching, research, community partnerships and campus operations. As of 2011, UVic became a carbon neutral as part of the BC government's climate action legislation. The campus currently has two LEED Gold standard certified buildings. The SS&M building which will be holding a number of the IMCC2 workshops is among four additional buildings awaiting the same certification.