International Ecological Networks; Edinburgh conference dates announced
Spring 2009

Edinburgh & Lothians Forest Habitat Network Partnership is joining forces with Forest Research, SNH and  Natural England to assist in the organisation of a three day IALE (International Association of Landscape Ecology) conference entitled. "Ecological Networks, Science and Practice". The conference will be held at the University of Edinburgh from 1-3 September. The Institute of Landscape Ecology has issued its provisional list of speakers together with a call for papers for its conference in September.

ELFHNP will be assisting with the organisation of field visits to look at potential for delivery of the Forest Habitat Network around Edinburgh City, particularly in relation to Core Development Areas. This is a good opportunity to showcase the work being undertaken in Scotland to an international audience.

The interdisciplinary approach of landscape ecology makes it highly relevant to conservation and land use planning in the 21st century. Although ecological networks have been a long-established aspect of European land use planning and conservation, they are a relatively new concept in the UK which has traditionally focussed on site based activities. In the face of rapid environmental change, there is a growing consensus that complementary approaches are needed. Scotland has been chosen as the host country because this need has been widely embraced at both the political and practical levels.

The aim of this international meeting is twofold: to review the empirical foundations for the design and implementation of ecological networks and to consider how this evidence has been used in practice in different countries. Field trips to the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park and the Edinburgh & Lothians area are planned to demonstrate implementation strategies that are in progress and provide a practical focus for discussion. The meeting will also include three short, informal workshops on the use of spatial data and decision support systems, an SNH land use planning tool and the use of stakeholder engagement and policy influencing techniques.

It is hoped that these interactive workshops will help build capacity for ecological network design and implementation, particularly amongst practitioners.

Details of the conference can be downloaded at:

http://www.iale.org.uk/files/files/ialeUK_Conf_2009_Edinburgh_CallForPapers.pdf