Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Happy Earth Day & an Invitation to China

April 22 is Earth Day, something doesn't seem to get picked up in Australia. Anyway in the spirit of the Earth Day, we finally sent out invitations to a conference on Ecosystem Services on Oct 13 &14, 2008 in Beijing, China.

Our goal is to focus attention on China and the USA, two nations that are very important on the world stage economically, demographically, and environmentally, and examine our current state of understanding of the complex dynamics that maintain ecosystem services and human well-being.

This conference will bring together Chinese and international researchers to examine some of the similarities and differences among these two countries and how the study of ecosystem services might benefit from increased collaboration. The valuation of ecosystem services, for instance, is a particularly intriguing research challenge given the distinct histories, cultures, governance, and economies of the two countries.

The conference is being organized by four groups: the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, University of Vermont (UVM).

We are also in the process of establishing a Joint US-China Center on Ecosystem Services (JUCCES), and the conference will provide an opportunity to formally launch JUCCES.

The conference part will be open to the public and will allow broad sharing of ideas and background. It is a great opportunity to make linkages with key players in the ecosystem service field.

Please click on the conference flyer for details if you are interested in going, or drop me a line with your questions.

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