Media releases

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE: CONFERENCE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
28 November 2007

The Australian Academy of Science, the country's peak science body, will host the Fenner Conference on the Environment at the Shine Dome in Canberra from 2–5 December. The theme of the conference will be Wildlife Population Dynamics and Management.

Prominent Australian speakers include Academy Fellow Professor Richard Shine who will discuss the ecological impact of invasive cane toads, and Professor Jim Hone who will discuss population and damage management of wild mammals.

Topics by overseas speakers will include a population crash of western lowland gorillas by Ms Romane Cristescu from France, infrared vision in ferrets by Dr Carolyn King & Ms Haylie Newbold from New Zealand and population dynamics of deer and caribou in North America by Canadian keynote speaker Professor Charles Krebs. Professor Tony Sinclair from Canada will also discuss his work on African wildebeest and lions.

Research by the late Dr Graeme Caughley, a pioneer in the field of wildlife ecology and former president of the Australasian Wildlife Management Society (AWMS), will be highlighted at the conference. Dr Caughley had, and continues to have, a major international influence on thinking and practice in the field of vertebrate ecology and wildlife management. A variety of themes based on his groundbreaking research will be discussed.

The conference supports early career researchers by including a session and poster presentations by younger researchers as well as awarding a Graeme Caughley Travelling Fellowship.

Research from the conference will be reported to relevant scientists and wildlife management agencies, and key papers will be published in the journal Wildlife Research.

The 20th anniversary of the AWMS will also be celebrated. The society provides a forum to discuss the scientific aspects of wildlife management in Australia and New Zealand.

Sponsors are: Landcare Research, AWMS in New Zealand, the Institute for Applied Ecology and the CRC for Invasive Animals at the University of Canberra.

Media details:

Professor Richard Shine and Professor Jim Hone will be available for interview. Other speakers will also be available to speak to the media. For a list of speakers and topics see the program: www.awms.org.nz/Files/conf07_program.pdf

Information on the AWMS can be found at: www.awms.org.nz

Information on Dr Caughley is at: www.science.org.au/academy/memoirs/caughley