Section Update: Oceania

The SCBO Board in August 2017 visiting the venue for our 2018 conference in Wellington.

Self-audit of Oceania members and conferences

In an effort to measure our performance, the Oceania Section has recently conducted a self-audit to learn more about our members and conferences.

In 2017, Oceania had close to 500 members from 32 countries. Our membership has steadily increased since 2012, and we hope to continue this trend by continuing to offer training, networking opportunities and useful information and resources for our members.

The number and diversity of attendees at our conferences has been increasing over time, and Wellington promises to uphold this trend. At all of our conference since 2014, we have provided training to mentor students and early career conservationists on their writing and presentations skills.

We aim to continue to deliver these types of workshops at future SCBO conferences and are open to feedback on course content to best suit our members' interests and needs. At the SCBO Wellington conference in July 2018, a range of workshops and courses are on offer, from integrating social science and policy, to a Q&A with geneticists. There's something for everyone and it's all free when you register! http://wellington2018.scboceania.org/short-courses-and-workshops/

Chapter update

We now have seven fantastic local Chapters in the Oceania Section, with SCB Greater Melbourne, Hawai‘i, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea joining us in the last 12 months. Our Chapters page provides up to date contact details for each Chapter and a map of their locations.

#SCBO2018 in Wellington

It’s less than 100 days to go until SCBO 2018 in Wellington!

Last-minute call for posters: If you missed the original abstract deadline or have some new results hot off the press that you’d like to share, submit an abstract before 13th April.

Early bird deadline: 13th April is also the early bird registration deadline for the conference so make sure to register before then for discount rates.

Abstract acceptances have been sent out and the draft program is up online. There are a bunch of awesome fieldtrips to suit all budgets and a host of FREE, exciting workshops and courses are included in the conference registration fee.

Finally, for those travelling with children, we’ve arranged a discount with an in-hotel nanny service – see more details here.

We’re excited to welcome as many as possible of you to Wellington for what’s shaping up to be a brilliant conference. If you haven’t already registered, what are you waiting for?
For all details on anything SCBO2018 related, visit http://wellington2018.scboceania.org and follow the #SCBO2018 hashtag on twitter.

Nominate for 2018 SCBO Student Awards

SCBO are pleased to announce the call for our annual student awards. The closing date for nominations for all awards is 30th April 2018.

We have two student awards up for grabs – one for the best Oceania student presentation at SCBO 2018 Wellington, and one for the best student publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Prizes include free registration to ICCB 2019 in Kuala Lumpur or SCB membership.

Visit our website for more information.

Check out the Member Spotlights page to learn about our most recent student award winners.

Nominations for new SCBO board members now open

The Oceania Section is seeking nominations to fill 4 members-at-large positions and 1 President-elect position. Successful candidates will serve 3 year terms.

If you know of someone who would be a good candidate for one of these positions (self-nominations are welcome) please submit a nomination form by e-mail to elections@scboceania.org before 28th April 2018.

Nominees must be members in good standing with the Society for Conservation Biology as well members of the Oceania Section, and must be willing to run for election before the deadline. You can check the status of your membership, and/or join the Oceania Section at www.conbio.org.

Visit our website for more information.

40% subscription discount to Pacific Conservation Biology for Oceania section members

Thanks to CSIRO Publishing, SCB Oceania Section members are eligible for a 40% discount on a personal online subscription to Pacific Conservation Biology

Members should contact CSIRO Publishing by email at publishing.sales@csiro.au or by telephone at +[61 3] 9545 8555 to place their order. To receive the discount, members must provide evidence of their Section membership (e.g by taking a screenshot or PDF print of their membership profile on the SCB website, which clearly shows their membership number and Section membership – see example)

Pacific Conservation Biology provides an important discussion forum for regional conservation issues, debate about management priorities, and dissemination of research results. The journal publishes original research, reviews, perspectives and book reviews.

Follow the journal on social media using the hashtag #PacificConsBio