Written by Catherine Chen and Elizabeth Arnold
On the 21st November students Catherine Chen and Elizabeth Arnold were given the opportunity to attend the National Biodiversity Network Conference 2014, through sponsorship from Bangor University. The Conference entitled “Climate, collaboration and collection – informing the new conservation agenda” was held at London’s Royal Society and provided a great opportunity for the students to be involved in this prestigious event.
Numerous guests attended the conference and gave presentations on their involvement in the conservation agenda. Guests included representatives from the National Trust, the Natural History Museum and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. The talks were informative and greatly enlightening on key themes which included climate change and the activities and goals of the growing network of organisations involved in biodiversity.
Catherine Chen’s experience
Two months back when we first received an email from the university on the NBN conference, we applied for it as I thought that it would be a fantastic opportunity to learn from a group of passionate speakers who have considerable years of experience in the natural sciences. Also, it’s an opportunity to learn of the latest trends in the field and is incredibly helpful in networking and catching up with both new people and old friends. This is the first time that the NBN has invited students to attend its conference and I believe that it has been as exciting for the other students as it has been for us, judging for the conscientious note-taking, brochure-reading and informal discussion with other invitees.
I’ve read on the programme the topics that will be covered prior to attending the conference and found the allocated duration for the talks to be perfect with sufficient in-between break times. The breaks allow us to have time to reflect on the concepts that were covered in the talks whilst enjoying the good company of others amidst the conference. We all exchanged ideas such as possible ways forward and interesting points noted throughout the talks. One of the main observations noted was the observation that the subject on bees was definitely a trending theme at the moment in conservation. As the same maps which show the migration and changes in bee population in the UK were shown a couple of times in a few talks throughout the conference.
Among all the talks, a few that caught my attention were the talks by Professor Chris Thomas on ‘Biodiversity Change and Conservation in the Anthropocene’ and another by Professor Ian Boyd on ‘Biodiversity, habitats and Earth Observation’. The former revolves around change being a constant in climatic issues, while the latter revolved around investment being carried out for better data collection and making more data and information readily available for everyone for the common goal: Benefit of nature. Some of the other speakers also covered the importance of data collection such as the presentation by Katie Winney on ‘Biological recording in a changing world’, which touched on how consolidated data could be used for management of National Trust land, which includes a significant number of costal properties. Also, Peter Doherty spoke on how data collection is open to the public both in forms of collection and distribution on their internet portal “The Atlas of Living Australia”. I found it very interesting how interactive and transparent the portal was for the public. When used well, it promotes the inclusion of people who are keen in making a contribution to nature and could be invaluable as it gathers volunteers in data and information collection: “made by the people, for the people”.
Elizabeth Arnold’s experience
The conference provided the chance to discuss ideas with professionals, and further understand their influence on the future of biodiversity. Students were able to talk to experienced and knowledgeable specialists in the environment sector, which provided valuable insights in to the roles that they one day may assume themselves.
The event also highlighted the different sectors involved in the conservation of biodiversity. Savita Custead from Bristol Natural History Consortium led a presentation titled “Can BioBlitz be a pathway to future recording?”. ‘BioBlitz’ are nationwide voluntary events which encourage the public to discover nearby green spaces. These events also enable the public to undertake the work of scientists, including practices such as data collection. Savita explained that when collecting the data the public exhibited different sets of skills, ranging from people with no relevant experience to regular recorders. Savita also noted that people have different outlooks on what they aim to achieve from a BioBlitz event, varying from having a day out in the sun to really wanting to learn more about biological recording.
A key message throughout the conference is that it is not just professionals and experts who should be involved in the conservation agenda and recording biodiversity. Events like BioBlitz aim to reinforce this message, and encourage the public to be actively involved. If a wider range and greater number of people are promoting the conservation agenda, the more successful it will be.
Additionally the conference raised awareness of the large quantity of valuable data available on the NBN Gateway. For students this is extremely helpful as the NBN Gateway can be used for evidence in assessments and for learning and discovering new information.
A presentation from Matt Davies, Operations Manager at Greespace Information Greater London (GiGL) discussed the value of data collections, and in particular their usefulness for projects in London. Biological data collected in the capital was utilised for the planning of temporary car parks for the 2012 Olympic Games. GiGL data helped place the car parks in less environmentally sensitive areas to minimise any environmental disturbance.
Professor Ian Boyd, Chief Scientific Adviser at DEFRA highlighted how the use of advanced technology can contribute to biodiversity data collection. He also explained the European Union's £3.8 billion investment programme to utilise satellites such as SENTINEL 1A/1B to monitor the earth’s complex atmosphere and marine environments. The use of technology produces extremely valuable data that assists with future conservation practices.
The concluding presentation was made by John Sawyer, Chief Executive, NBN Trust titled “Refreshing the NBN strategy- delivering a data driven partnership for nature”. John stated that there is need for change, and the current loss of biodiversity should motivate future work to conserve nature. He also acknowledged that there is a ‘generational change’, where technology will allow everybody to participate in the new conservation agenda, whether it be by adding biological recordings online or accessing data and learning from home. John’s presentation recognised that there is still a long way to go in terms of recording data for all species.
The conference made it very clear that great progress and many achievements have already been made by individuals and organisations in the conservation of the biodiversity movement. There was a sense of union and clarity amongst the guests and it was recognised that many attendees felt that working together and networking could help the movement achieve greater success. Data and knowledge can be readily shared in order to help the conservation agenda achieve its goals.
Both Catherine and I would like to thank everyone involved in allowing us this great opportunity to attend such an inspiring conference, and we really hope that more students in the future will also be invited to the upcoming conferences as it was such an enjoyable and worthwhile experience.
Catherine and I would like to thank in particular Bangor University and the NBN Trust who funded us and also Natural Resources Wales who offered us the places.