Ocean, Freshwater, Forests, Health and other Symposia at the Biodiversity Conference

THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT invites you to participate in the 9th National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment: Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing World, to address the challenge the changing world poses to biodiversity (and to humanity).

Explore Critical Biodiversity Topics! Featured Symposia:

On the second day of the conference (Tuesday, December 9) twelve concurrent symposia will explore in detail key biodiversity issues and critical ecosystem types. Presentations by between leading experts will lead into interactive and dynamic Q&A sessions, giving all participants the chance to contribute to these critical conversations.

Highlighted Symposium: How Health Depends on Nature
This session will explore among other issues: the ways in which complex interactions in ecological communities influence risk of exposure to zoonotic diseases; the contribution of ecosystem services to human health; the value of biodiversity to the search for new medicines and therapies; and the role of the Earth’s animals, plants, and microbes in understanding human physiology, disease, and dysfunction and in preventing and treating disease and dysfunction. Session Chair: Mary Gant, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIHModerator: Eric Chivian, Director, Center for Health & the Global Environment, Harvard University Discussants: Richard Ostfeld, Senior Scientist and Animal Ecologist, Institute of Ecosystem Studies David Newman, Chief, Natural Products Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIHJoshua Rosenthal, Deputy Director, International Training & Research, Fogarty International Center, NIH

Full Symposia List:
Ocean Biodiversity: Chair: Nathalie Valette-Silver, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Discussants: Patricia Miloslavich, Universidad Simon Bolivar, Venezuela; Nancy Knowlton, Smithsonian Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Emmett Duffy, Virginia Insitute of Marine Sciences; David Newman, National Cancer Institute

Communicating About Biodiversity with Cutting Edge Approaches: Chair and Moderator: Jane Elder, Jane Elder Strategies and Forum on Nature and Democracy, Discussants: Carol Saunders, Antioch College; Eleanor Sterling, American Museum of Natural History; Lisa Wise, Center for New American Dream.

How Health Depends on Nature: Chair: Mary Gant, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Moderator: Eric Chivian, Director, Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard University; Richard Ostfeld, Senior Scientist/Animal Ecologist, Institute of Ecosystem Studies; David Newman, Chief, Natural Products Branch, Natural Cancer Institute (NIH); Joshua Rosenthal, Deputy Director, International Training & Research, Fogarty International Center, NIH

Forests for Tomorrow: NCSSF Science and Policy: Chair: Joyce Berry, Vice President for Advancement and Strategic Initiatives, Colorado State University; John Gordon, former Dean Yale School of Forestry; Jim Brown, former Oregon State Forester; Al Sample, President, Pinchot Institute for Conservation; Ann Bartuska, Deputy Chief, USFS Research and Development

Funding for Biodiversity Conservation: Chair: Peter Saundry, National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE), Moderator: Michael Fischer, Executive Director, Consultative Group on Biological Diversity; Discussants: Kenneth Wilson, Executive Director, The Christensen Fund; Rosa Lemos de Sa, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Jeff Lerner, The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; Christopher Holtz, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Adrian Forsyth, Blue Moon Foundation

Can Climate Policies Help Save the Biodiversity of Tropical Forests?: Chair: Peter Frumhoff, Union of Concerned Scientists, Discussants: Sandra Brown, Winrock International; Tom Lovejoy, Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment; Geoffrey Heal, Columbia University

Political, Economic, and Ethical Contexts of Biodiversity Conservation: Chair: Paul Heltne, Center for Humans and Nature; George Rabb, President Emeritus, Chicago Zoological Society and activist in the formation of the Amphibian Survival Alliance; Peter G. Brown, Ph. D., Professor, School of the Environment, McGill University, author of "The Commonwealth of Life: Economics for a Flourishing Earth"; J. Ron Engel, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Meadville Lombard Seminary and University of Chicago Divinity School

Human Dominated Landscapes: Chair: Adina Merenlender, University of California, and Jodi Hilty, Wildlife Conservation Society; Discussants: Devra Jarvis, Ph.D., Agricultural Ecosystems, Biodiversity International; Nancy Bockstael, Ph.D., Land Economics, University of Maryland; Alex Beehler, Assistant Deputy Undersecretary for Environment, Safety, and Occupational Health, Department of Defense

Freshwater Ecosystems: Chair: Michael Smith, Conservation International; Discussants: Neil Cumberlidge, Northern Michigan University; Larry Gorenflo, Pennsylvania State University; Larry Page, Florida Museum of Natural History; Cathy Reidy Liermann, University of Washington

Agriculture:from Genes to Landscapes: TBD

Bio-prospecting, Bio-mimicry, and Bio-products: Chair: Andy Jorgensen, National Council for Science and the Environment, Moderator: Anthony Michaels, Managing Partner, Proteus Environmental Technologies; Discussants: Steven King, Vice President of Sustainable Supply and Ethnobotanical Research, Naop Pharmaceuticals; Lyle Glowka, Senior Legal Advisor, Convention on Biodiversity

Exploring Earth's Species, Writing the Encyclopedia of Life: Chair: Quentin Wheeler , International Institute for Species Exploration, Arizona State University; James L. Edwards, Executive Director, Encyclopedia of Life, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution; Discussants: Marie Studer, Education and Outreach Group, Encyclopedia of Life, Harvard University; Tom Garnett, Executive Director, Biodiversity Heritage Library, Smithsonian Institution; Norman Platnick, American Museum of Natural History, New York; Dennis Stevenson, Vice President, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx

Visit the website to register and view the conference agenda, speaker bios, and important information on travel and lodging. Learn about our Biodiversity Partners Exhibition, Poster Session, Youth Video Contest, and many other opportunities for participation!
Register Today! Questions? Call 202.530.5810 or email conference@ncseonline.org