BES Facebook pageBritish Ecological Society Press Release
2 September 2010 – For immediate release
British Ecological Society Annual Meeting,University of Leeds, 7-9 September 2010
Thousands of ecologists from around the world will gather next week for Europe's largest ecological conference, the British Ecological Society’s Annual Meeting, being held at the University of Leeds from 7-9 September 2009. Hundreds of scientific papers and posters will be presented at the meeting, and highlights include:
The BES Lecture, given by Professor Andrew Watkinson, director of Living with Environmental Change and former director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia.
Society faces a range of challenges from climate change to biodiversity conservation. Addressing these challenges demands a robust evidence framework for action. In addition, research increasingly needs to be seen to stimulate the economy, particularly the green economy. In his lecture, entitled Making a difference: research with
impact, Professor Watkinson will examine how researchers should respond to these challenges.In his Presidential Address, BES President Professor Charles Godfray will discuss Mosquitoes, malaria and ecology, arguing that ecology is critical for successfully controlling diseases spread by insects. We know surprisingly little about the ecology of major insect vectors of malaria in Africa, what they eat and how their populations are regulated. Professor Godfray will describe recent novel ideas for controlling mosquito vectors of malaria, and explore how ecological sciences can assist in their deployment.
Ecologists will report new findings on how inbreeding among bumblebees in the Western Isles of Scotland could be increasing their risk of extinction; explain why white-clawed crayfish from running water are thinner than those living in still water – information vital to saving this species from extinction in England and Wales; and reveal new ways of monitoring the impacts of Wave Hub, a site off Cornwall where wave energy converters are tested.
A programme of seven thematic topics, including marine renewable energy. The latter will highlight our current understanding of the ecological effects of altering hydrodynamics in the marine environment, and features a keynote address by Professor Jonathan Side of Heriot-Watt University examining the ecological effects of removing tidal energy.
Notes to editors:
1. Journalists are welcome to attend the conference. For further information and press passes please contact Becky Allen, Press Officer, British Ecological Society, email: beckyallen@ntlworld.com, tel: 01223 570016, mob: 07949 804317.
2. A full programme is available at http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/meetings/current_future_meetings/2010_annual_meeting/index.php
3.Celebrating Ecology– an exhibition of stunning photographs from this year's BES photographic competition will be on display during the meeting.
4. The British Ecological Society is a learned society, a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. Established in 1913 by academics to promote and foster the study of ecology in its widest sense, the Society has 4,000 members in the UK and abroad.
