African Congress for Conservation Biology (ACCB)
The third African Congress for Conservation Biology (hereafter referred to ACCB 2016) was held at the Faculty of Science of the Université Chouiab Doukkali in El Jadida, Morocco, between September 4 and 8, 2016; under the title, “Conservation Biology in Africa: Challenges of Globalization.” The conference was attended by 208 participants, 55% of which were SCB members. A total of 109 oral presentations in six plenaries, 36 poster presentations and two roundtable discussions took place in the conference. These were in addition to three training workshops. The congress opening ceremony was graciously attended by some remarkable persons, including the Governor of El Jadida city, Mr. Gilles Pargneaux of the European Union Office on Climate Change, President of the host University, as well as the Vice President and Dean of the Faculty of Science of the host University. The congress advanced public awareness on conservation issues in Morocco, given the media attention it received. There were up to 10 press releases issued on the congress in local, national and international news media, while the opening ceremony was aired in the country’s national television news.
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Board of Directors (left to right) - Fola Babalola, Stephen Awoyemi, Jennifer O'Leary, Ron Abrams and his wife, Marilyn, Benis Egoh, Tuyeni Mwampamba and Israel Borokini. Photo taken in ACCB 2016 at El Jadida, Morocco. |
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ACCB 2016 |
Prior to the Congress, the Africa Section board published a policy piece on “The implications of globalization for conservation in Africa” in the African Journal of Ecology. This is helping to create more awareness and garnering a forum for discussions on this important issue at local, national and continental levels in Africa. Read this article.
Young Women Conservation Biologists (YWCB)
The YWCB, established in 2005, organized a training workshop on scientific writing for its members during the ACCB 2016. In addition, the YWCB award was given to Ms. Sophia Jingo from Uganda, for her courageous work on the conservation of carnivores and the promotion of community-based natural resources management in the Murchinsons Fall National Park.
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YWCB awardee Sophia Jingo. |
African Conservation Telegraph (ACT)
ACT is the official newsletter of SCB Africa Section, with a wide range of readership across the world. The newsletter is published quarterly since December 2014, covering thematic issues such as conservation education, protected areas, wildlife rehabilitation, field studies, one health, renewable energy, wildlife trade and climate change. Over the years, ACT has covered the meritorious work of 75 authors and a spotlight on outstanding conservationists in different issues. Many thanks to the editor, Dr. Murali Pai and his team for this great work! The call is out on the next issue of ACT due to be published in April 2017, and is themed, “Wildlife art in Africa.” Kindly submit your art - paintings, photos, cartoons celebrating Africa's wilderness. Like and follow ACT on Twitter and Facebook.
New chapters from Africa
Africa Section is happy to announce the establishment of a Chapter in Algeria. This is the first SCB Chapter in North Africa, and we look forward to establishing more chapters in the region, especially in Morocco and Egypt, where chapter creation efforts are ongoing. In addition, we look forward to establishing more chapters in countries where efforts are going on to start new chapters: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.
African biodiversity strategy
The Africa Section has been conducting an online survey to understand the current threats to species, habitats, and ecosystems in Africa. The aim of the study is to understand the threats, challenges, actions, skills and research priorities for conservation. The results will inform the work of the Africa Section of SCB and will be made available to everyone who would like to prioritize research and policy efforts to address these threats. We have received 175 responses thus far, but we know that there are a lot more conservation scientists and practitioners out there and we would like to make sure that their opinions and experiences are represented among the responses. Please help us by distributing the link to the survey to your colleagues and networks in these and any other regions. The survey consists of 8 questions and takes less than 15 minutes to complete. If you have not completed the survey yet, we invite you to do so now. Click the following link to be taken to the online survey.
Short news
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