2013 marks the 21st anniversary of the annual Hawai‘i Conservation Conference (HCC) allowing us the opportunity to bolster island conservation in Hawai‘i and wider Pacific Islands. Highlights include: thought provoking keynote speakers; innovative panels and forums; a community event, novel lunch & reception, training opportunities, and more.
Hawaii Conservation Alliance Executive Director Lihla Noori and Anuhea with the youngest attendee of the 2012 Hawaii Conservation Conference
CALL FOR PROPOSALS & ABSTRACTS
Living Today, Sustaining Tomorrow: Connecting People, Places and Planet, July 16th – 18th, 2013 Hawai`i Convention Center, Honolulu, HI
Session and Abstract Proposal Deadline: January 21, 2013 Revisions Deadline: March 15, 2013
Join us in celebrating the 21st annual Hawai‘i Conservation Conference! If you are interested in sustaining our natural resources for current and future generations and would like to share your topic of expertise with the conservation community in Hawai‘i and the wider Pacific Region, the Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance would like to request your proposals and abstracts for the 2013 Hawai‘i Conservation Conference!
See the official call below, or download it from our website: HERE.
If you have any questions, please contact 808-687-6152 or coordinator@hawaiiconservation.org
TRACKS & SESSION TOPICS
The HCC organizing committee is soliciting proposals for sessions, forums, workshops, trainings and individual oral or poster presentations in the following six tracks. Integrated approaches to research and management that involve community and cultural knowledge and approaches as a best practice will be given priority ranking.
1. Practicing Laulima (many hands): Building of Bridges between Ecosystems and Society
Human well-being is inextricably linked to the natural world through a myriad of exchanges – most of which go unnoticed or are under-appreciated in modern times. Radical changes in land use and natural resource governance over the past century has resulted in rapid degradation of our native ecosystems, alienating changes in human relationships to the land and sea, and a common disassociation with our natural world. Management and research organizations need to better understand the context of this history in order to better measure, and share the value of ecosystem services and, in turn, build a broader base of support for and engagement in effective conservation and management.This Track will focuson sharing lessons and experiences (good and bad) from efforts to build bridges among the diverse communities by providing credible and robust information on the links between ecosystem management and the attainment of economic and social goals. Sessions will demonstrate that conservation and management efforts that take a laulima (cooperative) approach are more likely to succeed, and will provide detailed experiences on how the whole can indeed be greater than the sum of the parts.
2. Safeguarding Sacred Places: Restoration and Protection of Managed Areas
Hawaiʻi is blessed with many special places set aside for their importance, bio-cultural resources, and unique characteristics. These protected areas are found on the highest peaks, deep ocean, and everywhere in between. Protected areas are microcosms of larger ecosystems and landscapes. At the same time, Hawaii’s extensive systems of protected federal, state and privately or community-owned and -managed lands and waters provide critical ecosystem system services that sustain us. They also serve as important sources of native species used in restoration elsewhere. To be effective and successful, their managers must deal with both the issues that pervade conservation issues in Hawaiʻi: invasive species, loss of ecosystem function, climatic change, population effects, and the socio-cultural needs of community. This track will focus on place-based conservation occurring in our protected areas. Sessions will demonstrate the importance of place-based conservation, the differences between place-based and issue-based conservation, ecosystem services provided by protected areas, the importance of refugia, and need for community stewardship.
3. Invertebrates: Gems of Pacific Island Ecosystems
With their incredible abundance, diversity, and distribution, invertebrates – both on land and in the sea – are the ties that bind our island ecosystems together. Our amazing endemic species are not only vital food sources, pollinators, and decomposers, but serve as indicators of ecosystem health, harbingers of global climate change, and icons of cultural significance. The incredible physiological and behavioral adaptations that have made our native invertebrate species so unique also put them and the ecosystems that they support, at great risk. Track and sessions will focus on illustrating the role of invertebrates in sustaining our natural, agricultural, and urban ecosystems and their cultural importance into the future, and include demonstrations of achievements in research, conservation, and management.
4. Oceans and Shorelines: Where Conservation Meets Everyday People
Hawaii’s human history is based on the ocean. From the earliest Native Hawaiians who settled here to people today, our shorelines and nearshore waters are the places where conservation most directly meets people – as the provider for food, transportation, recreation, livelihood, and settlement. Unfortunately, with declining fishery resources, rising sea levels, warming ocean temperatures, ocean acidification and pollution, the health of our oceans are changing rapidly, requiring us to focus more attention on how these changes will affect us and what we have to do to increase the resiliency of both ecosystems and human communities. Increased attention and focus on marine conservation will aid Hawaii’s conservation community in increasing our relevance to people and communities. This track is aimed at: mainstreaming marine conservation issues and successes within the broader conservation community; highlighting successful mauka-makai conservation approaches; sharing new initiatives and innovations aimed at enhancing food security and restoring fisheries in Hawai’i and larger Pacific region; and focusing attention on the cultural importance of the ocean to Hawaii’s people.
5. Connecting People to Place: Bio-Cultural Foundations and Innovations in Resource Management
In Hawaiian conservation, there are cultural connections to the places we work. As such there is also a wealth of cultural knowledge tied to the history and people of these places upon which to draw from in order to increase our conservation success. This track will focus on both the foundations of culturally integrated conservation, as well as examples of cultural innovations to conservation in Hawaiʻi. Sessions are aimed at bio-cultural innovations and approaches to conservation, including integration of biology, culture, land-use history, community-based stewardship, and all that is rooted in aloha ʻāina.
6. Collaboration Across Sectors: Island Leadership in Defining the New “Green (and Blue) Economy”
What sectors need to be involved in green initiatives, and how can island communities encourage cross-sector dialogue to promote effective developments in clean energy, food security, and the environment?
This track will focus on islands as microcosms for the world’s sustainability challenges. It will highlight how Hawai`i is defining green growth to include sound management of our natural resources from the mountains to the sea and advancing innovative green growth initiatives through multi-sector and international collaborations. Sessions will demonstrate unique partnerships, programs and projects that will lead to a greener economy with more opportunities for green jobs.
WORKSHOPS/TRAININGS
Organizations and practitioners are welcome to conduct trainings (see “Conservation Campus” below) and workshops before or following the conference. While Hawaii Conservation Alliance (HCA) can contribute minimal logistical support, the facilitating organization(s) is responsible for organizing and supporting most aspects of their training or workshop. Please contact us for details about this new capacity building opportunity.
SUBMISSION PROCESS
Session Proposal & Abstract Deadline: January 21, 2013
Session proposals and abstracts must be submitted online. The submission form will be available on the HCA website in early December, 2012: www.hawaiiconservation.org
FORMAT DESCRIPTIONS
Symposium: a formal moderated session with 4-5 presentations organized around a topic or theme; individual presentation time is limited to 20 minutes; moderator introduces presenters and conducts Q&A session at end of session. Time limit: 2 hours per session. Abstracts for each presenter are required and due Jan 21, 2013, along with a complete session agenda.
Forum: A less formal, interactive panel or roundtable session organized around a topic or theme; moderator guides presenters’ discussion and conducts Q&A session with audience during or after presentations. Time limit: 2 hours per session, with a minimum of :30 for audience participation. Abstracts for each presenter are not required unless requested by the forum organizer/chair.
Workshop: An interactive, highly facilitated, “hands on” session that minimizes formal presentations and emphasizes the application of information and/or technology. Active audience participation is encouraged. Subject categories may include: Education & Outreach, Community Engagement, Career & Skills Development, Management Tool Applications, etc. To register, one cohesive workshop abstract is required that describes engagement technique used by the person(s) facilitating the workshop. Hawaii-based workshop facilitators must be registered participants.
Conservation Campus: This an opportunity for organizations to host capacity building trainings and activities that focus on a specific skills transfer to conservation practitioners, teachers, etc or a time to engage a specific audience in a particular topic related to our larger theme (i.e. GIS analysis, integration of conservation in the classroom for teachers). A description is required to explain the goals and target audience of the training. Hawaii-based training facilitators must be registered conference participants. Trainings may occur on the weekend before or after the conference.
Oral and Poster Presentation Abstracts
Formal, individual presentations on various conservation topics will be scheduled in one of the following sessions depending on the abstract content. On the abstract submission form, you will be asked to choose a preferred presentation format (oral or poster) and identify the status of your project: information or news item; project/idea under development; completed project with data and results. In some cases, the review committee may suggest that you change your preferred format depending on the content of your abstract, available time in the program, and available space in the exhibit hall. All oral and poster presenters must be registered participants.
Oral presentations:
a.) 20-minute individual presentations (16-minute talk, 3 minutes Q&A, 1 minute for transition time)
b.) 10-minute individual presentations (7-minute talk, 2 minutes Q&A, and 1 minute for transition time).
Oral presentations will be scheduled into 2-hour sessions concluding with a 20-minute Q&A session. The 10-minute presentation format is appropriate for a topic of broad appeal, a new project or innovative idea, a recent success, a news story or update.
Poster presentation: This is a visual presentation to showcase your work to conference attendees throughout the entire conference. Posters are particularly useful as a way to present quantitative research. More than one participant may author a poster, but at least one of the primary authors must be in attendance to discuss the poster at the Opening Reception July 16th.
For more information Contact HCA Program Coordinator, Shelley Steele 808-687-6152 coordinator@hawaiiconservation.org
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