Invitation: Cop 17 (Durban, South Africa) Side Event and Funding Applications

sorry for cross-posting -

INVITATION TO COP 17 IN DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
On behalf of York University's Institute for Research and Innovation
in Sustainability (IRIS: http://www.irisyorku.ca/), I would like to
invite proposals for presentations from researchers in the Canadian
North and South (especially students/youth) to be part of our
application to host a COP 17 Side Event. Do you want to come to South
Africa in November 2011? If so, read on...
What Topic?

The main objectives of the workshop/side event would be to provide
researchers from the Canadian North/South (especially students/youth)
a chance to share their experiences and understanding of climate
change whether in their daily lives or through their research. We are
focusing on climate change and health research; however, the goal is
to 'share experiences' broadly related to the impacts people are
facing everyday. The world will be your audience!
Why York University?

York University currently has observer status for COP 17 (Durban,
South Africa - Nov 2011) and we would like to send a delegation of
students from York and from across the Arctic. IRIS representatives
have attended both COP15 (Copenhagen, Denmark) and COP16 (Cancun,
Mexico). Delegates' previous experiences and involvement have
included: presentations at Klimaforum, COP Side Events and other
academic seminars; published media and journal articles; and, the
formation of international research partnerships.
What About the Cost?
Rachel Hirsch is preparing a proposal to send to the Social Sciences
and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to request money to host a
workshop as a side event at the COP 17 meeting. The main theme of the
proposed workshop will be: "'Our Actions Have Consequences': Student
Perspectives on Climate Change and Health from the North."
Highlights...

We are very excited that, as part of our proposals to SSHRC and for a
COP Side Event, we have been granted permission to include a screening
of the film "Qapirangajuq: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change"
co-directed by acclaimed Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk and Dr. Ian
Mauro.
For more information about the film please see this link:
http://www.isuma.tv/hi/en/inuit-knowledge-and-climate-change

The Process

Our timeline for securing funding and then to submit a full side event
application will be:

1. April 25: Deadline to send title/abstract (150 words) to Rachel
Hirsch (rhirsch@yorku.ca) indicating interest in presenting at the
proposed workshop/side event
2. May 2: Final deadline for application to SSHRC for workshop funding
3. August 16-19: Application window for COP 17 side-events

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Rachel Hirsch, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow
Faculty of Environmental Studies
HNES 276, York University
4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3J 1P3
Mobile: 647-385-1811
Office: 416 736 2100 ex. 20147
Fax: 416-736-5679
Email: rhirsch@yorku.ca

Executive Board Member of IRIS, York University

[DEADLINE 1 March] Join the SCAR Open Science Conference 2012 Local Organizing Committee

Hi APECS USA and Canada,

Just a reminder that this opportunity is available only for a couple more days...

The Local Organizing Committee of the XXXII SCAR and Open Science Conference invites a U.S. APECS representative to join the committee. The meetings will be held in Portland, Oregon from 13 to 25 July, 2012. Our goal is to ensure that the interests of early career scientists are well represented in the planning process, including the development of workshops and other activities that add value to the meeting. Committee service may include proposal writing activities in collaboration with the LOC and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

If you're interested, please submit a CV and a statement of interest to apope00@gmail.com by 1 March 2011.

Allen Pope

APECS President 2010-2011

[APECS] CAFF & APECS Sea Ice Biodiversity Opportunity

Hi APECS Members:

We've got another great opportunity for you! CAFF (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna) and APECS have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding, and as part of our beginning collaboration, CAFF is looking for an APECS member to participate in and contribute to a project entitled "Status and Conservation Issues of Arctic Sea Ice-associated Biodiversity."

The first event associated with this collaboration is a meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia March 22-24. CAFF is especially interested in a fairly local participant, and if possible someone with a food chain specialist background. Please see the project info below and the workshop invitation here (pdf).

 

See project website here - http://asib.arcticportal.org/

 

The meeting is approaching quickly, so if you're interested in this opportunity, please email apope00@gmail.com with your CV and a statement of interest by February 21st at the very latest.

Allen Pope

APECS President 2010-2011

 

Project Outline: Status and Conservation Issues of Arctic Sea Ice-associated Biodiversity

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna

A. Introduction

Climate models indicate trends towards reductions in the extent and thickness of sea ice in the Arctic.   Many species are found in association with this ice and can therefore be expected to be significantly affected by the projected reduction in ice availability.  It is also important to recognize that sea ice-associated species are trophically linked directly and indirectly to others in marine and terrestrial ecosystems and must be considered in any analysis of the effects of sea ice loss.

Consideration of the effects of warming oceans on ice-dependent species in the Arctic is well underway.  SWIPA (Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic) is the Arctic Council's Project on Climate Change and the Arctic Cryosphere.  This project has reviewed the biological impacts of changes to sea ice in the Arctic and summarizes the role sea ice plays for several key species in the north.  This kind of information will prove valuable for the ecosystem-level analysis that will be conducted as part of the project proposed here.  In addition to SWIPA, this project will build on other initiatives like the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment, a project of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) that is synthesizing and assessing the status and trends of biological diversity in the Arctic

B. Project objective

Building on the results of existing work as outlined above, the objective of this project is to provide a summary of the current status and trends of sea ice-associated biodiversity, including direct effects on marine species and indirect effects on terrestrial species, discuss the expected reaction of these biota to lower occurrences of ice, reflect on the effects low ice and its impact on biodiversity to northern peoples, and finally, to recommend actions that might mitigate these changes.

This project has three phases.  The first phase will consist of a workshop that identifies issues and actions that will form the substance of a technical report; a list of authors and an outline of the report will be a product of this initial meeting.  The second phase will involve the preparation of the technical report and accompanying recommendations for action.  The third phase will be communication of the results and recommendations to a non-technical audience.

Phase 1

The first step towards meeting the above objectives will be carried out in a workshop where a series of discussions will outline past trends and the current situation for sea ice-associated biodiversity and project what might happen in the future. 

Attendees will include those with knowledge of sea ice-associated biodiversity and cultures including experts with traditional knowledge, scientific knowledge of sea ice-associated species and knowledge of overall ecosystem functioning in polar regions.  Topics for discussion will encompass:

Overview of sea ice ecosystems – what benefits are gained by wildlife and people who have evolved in association with sea ice? Review of ecosystem function in regions where sea ice is integral – what role does sea ice play?  For which species is sea ice essential and for which species does it merely enhance survival – can wildlife and people adapt to an ice-free scenario? What species are likely to move into Arctic oceans with a reduction in sea ice and what is the expected effect on northern biodiversity and people? If a given species is removed or pushed out of the system by species expanding their northern range, will it negatively/positively affect other wildlife and people? Will the disappearance of sea ice affect the genetic diversity of species that survive?  Will there be short and/or long term implications of changes in genetic diversity?

Building on the discussion of the current and future state of sea ice-dependent biodiversity, the second step in this process will consider issues facing sea ice-associated biodiversity and what actions might be required to adapt to or mitigate the effects of reduced availability of Arctic sea ice.   Topics for consideration could include:

What are the urgent issues that face sea ice-associated biodiversity (e.g. northerly range extensions of species from the south, ocean temperature change, increased human activity, etc.)?  Are changes in these issues measureable?  If not, what can be measured? What issues are measurable but secondary?  These are the issues that might not warrant immediate action but could be monitored. Given key issues, what are the most important actions that can be taken in support of sea ice-associated biodiversity? What are the key information gaps that require targeted research? What are the preferred methods for monitoring sea ice-associated biodiversity (community based census, atlas approach, indicator species, remote sensing)? What conservation actions can be undertaken to mitigate the effects of a reduction in sea ice availability for Arctic people and wildlife.

Based on the results of the first two components of this workshop, participants will discuss the outline of a final report on sea ice-associated biodiversity. 

The outcome of the Vancouver workshop will be a summary of discussions and the development of an outline or table of contents of the final report. 

Participants will be asked to volunteer to draft sections of the final report to be completed in the months following the Vancouver workshop.

Phase 2

This phase will consist of writing a short, properly referenced and reviewed technical report that documents the status, trends and issues identified in Phase 1 and proposes recommendations.  This second workshop is expected to occur in Russia, and will finalize the report by discussing and refining recommendations, as well as indicate a process for implementing recommendations. 

Phase 3

This phase will develop non-technical materials that communicate the results of Phases 1 and 2.