Archived News

The XIth SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Biology Symposium will be held in Barcelona, Spain over 15-19 July.  The main theme for the XIth SCAR symposium is Life in Antarctica: Boundaries and Gradients in a Changing Environment.

“[The] symposium links the functional importance of land and water ecosystems and their biocomplexity, under an ecosystemic perspective in order to understand the Antarctic trophic web, effects of human impacts such as the ozone hole, climate change, the increase in tourism activities, the flexible boundaries and dynamic gradients in Antarctic ecosystem, as well the Antarctic marine biodiversity through its patterns, processes and trends.”

Two of the six “sub-themes” are expected to be of relevance to the conservation of albatrosses and petrels as taken from the Symposium’s web site.

Subtheme 2 - Integrated perspectives on Antarctic marine ecosystems: from krill to top predators

Studies of krill and top predators have been carried out independently from each other.  An ecosystemic perspective is needed to fully understand how current changes are affecting the ecological interactions of the different components of the Antarctic trophic web.  Contributions to increase our understanding of the functioning of the Antarctic food web through the biology of its components and their interactions are then welcome.

Subtheme 3 - Human impacts on Antarctic ecosystems: from global change to small scale impacts

Over the past few decades some Antarctic ecosystems are changing rapidly while others much less so.  As a consequence of these impacts the invasion of non-Antarctic species is taking place in some Antarctic regions.  In this subtheme the effects of these impacts will be explored from a multidisciplinary and inter-ecosystemic approach, covering different space and time scales.

The Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses is the only ACAP-listed albatross that breeds within Antarctica

Photograph by John Chardine

The SCAR Expert Group on Birds & Marine Mammals (SCAR-EGBAMM), inaugurated at the SCAR Biology Symposium held in Japan in 2009 (click here), will meet by invitation on 20 July.  The Chair of the expert group is Mark Hindell (Australia), with Yan Ropert-Coudert (France) acting as its Secretary.

Richard Phillips (British Antarctic Survey), Co-convener of ACAP’s Population and Conservation Assessment Working Group and a member of SCAR-EGBAMM, will be attending the symposium.

The next SCAR Open Science Conference will be held in Auckland, New Zealand over 25-29 August 2014 in conjunction with the 33rd biennial meeting of SCAR and along with a Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) Symposium.  Click here for key dates and circulars.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 29 June 2013