The 2007 annual meeting of the SCB, One World, One Conservation, One Partnership, will be held from 1 - 5 July 2007 at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The call for proposals for symposia, workshops, and organised discussions was issued previously; the deadline was 16 October 2006. The Local Organising Committee is now accepting abstracts for oral and poster presentations until 8 January 2007.

The scientific program will include plenary sessions, invited symposia, workshops, organized discussions, short courses, poster sessions, concurrent sessions of contributed oral presentations and speed presentations. Due to the high level of attendance expected at the 2007 meeting and, consequently, limited time and space for oral presentations, poster presentations are strongly encouraged. Posters will be displayed prominently and for the entire meeting; a special session dedicated to posters will allow in-depth discussion between authors and attendees.

Please adhere to the following guidelines when preparing your abstract for an oral presentation or poster:

• Oral presentations will be limited to 15 minutes, 12 minutes presentation and 3 minutes for questions.
• Speed presentations will be limited to 4 minutes (see details below).
• The abstract should include new information. Abstracts should not be submitted for presentations that have been given at previous SCB meetings or similar conferences.
• The abstract should include specific information about the results and conclusions of the research. Abstracts that state "results will be discussed" will not be accepted.
• The abstract should have a clear connection to conservation biology.
• Contributed oral presentations will be grouped by topic. Please choose from the list of general topic areas to assist us in selecting an appropriate session for your presentation.
• If your abstract is accepted but cannot be accommodated as an oral presentation, you will be notified as soon as possible so that you will have ample time to prepare a poster.
• Individuals are limited to presenting only one oral or poster presentation. If your name appears on more than one presentation, make sure you are listed as the presenter for only one of them.

Click here for general abstract guidelines to help you to write your abstract.

ABSTRACT REVIEW PROCESS

In line with the SCB and LOC’s commitment to high quality science, abstracts will be submitted to a double blind review process. Through this process, submitted abstracts will either be allocated to contributed talks, poster presentations or rejected.

REGISTRATION

Presenting authors (oral or poster) should register for the meeting by 16 March 2007. As late cancellation excludes others who might have presented, authors who fail to notify the Local Organising Committee of their withdrawal by 18 May 2007 may be excluded from giving a presentation at the 2008 Annual Meeting.

ORAL PRESENTATION

All oral presentation rooms will be equipped with a computer and a data projector. If your abstract is selected you will be notified with an acceptance e-mail around 28 February. Those who are selected to present will be required to submit their PowerPoint files by 11 June 2006. Detailed information and instructions will be available to presenters several months before the meeting.

SPEED PRESENTATIONS

Do you have a paper topic that would be of interest to a wide range of people? Would you like your presentation to lead to an extended conversation with several colleagues who are specifically interested in your work? If so, you may wish to volunteer for "speed presentations" a novel format for oral papers that was successfully pioneered at our 2006 meeting, and which will be expanded in 2007. In the first hour of a speed presentation session, 15 speakers will be given 4 minutes each to present their key ideas and results. In the second hour, presenters will station themselves at separate tables where they can interact with people who are interested in learning more about their work.

To participate in the speed presentations - simply submit an abstract according to the standard guidelines and indicate that you would like your abstract to be considered for a speed presentation, by checking the appropriate box. Depending on the number of submissions we receive, we will convene up to four speed presentation sessions that each includes 15 papers with a common theme. Please indicate your preference for a session theme by checking one of the following: Partnerships for effective conservation; Global change and conservation challenges beyond boundaries; Linking freshwater, marine and terrestrial conservation; Interactions between biodiversity and society; and Biological aspects of conservation. If your abstract is accepted for a speed presentation, you will be notified by the Local Organising Committee and asked to prepare a 4-minute presentation instead of a traditional (15-minute) presentation; if not, your abstract will still be considered for a traditional oral presentation or poster.

MENTORING OF STUDENT ABSTRACTS

Introducing the SCB Mentoring Program
In 2005, over 1600 individuals from 68 countries attended the annual SCB meeting in Brazil. Many of these people were part of the growing number of members of SCB for whom English is not their first language. As an organization dedicated to global conservation, it is important that conducting meetings in English does not make it more difficult for any of our members to attend and present. This is especially important when considering student presenters for whom the annual meeting can be an incredible place to meet people, share ideas, and establish professional contacts.

To encourage participation in the 2007 annual meeting in South Africa, the Student Affairs Committee of the Society (SAC) will be offering a mentoring service for students submitting abstracts for posters or oral presentations for whom English is not a first language.

The Mentoring Program in detail
The mentor will provide guidance on grammar and clarity of writing and will ensure that the abstract meets the technical criteria for submission. The mentor will return the abstract with suggestion for changes to the student. Note however that it is NOT the role of the mentor to provide scientific guidance, or to write the abstract.

If you are a student who is interested in this service, you can apply during the online abstract submission process for the 2007 meeting by indicating that you are a student, that English is not your first language AND that you would like to apply for assistance with your abstract through our mentoring program.

Instructions will then be sent to your e-mail address detailing the program procedures after your online submission.

Please do not contact any members of SCB directly in relation to being mentored

STUDENT AWARD CANDIDATES

Student award candidates (restricted to 15-minute oral presentations) must submit two abstracts. One abstract should be formatted according to the instructions given for the regular contributed papers and submitted online by 8 January 2007. In addition, to apply for a student award, an extended abstract (minimum 500 words, maximum 800 words including up to 3 figures or tables) must be submitted to SCB Meetings Coordinator, Ms. Gwen Coat, at gcoat@conbio.org no later than 8 January 2007. Please include in the abstract the names and complete contact information for all authors and the presentation title. The student must be the primary author and must submit the abstract under that name. In other words, please make certain that the name of the student applying for the award and the name of the primary author are identical. If two or more authors are listed, please outline their roles in the work. Current students and students with a graduation date of 1 July 2006 or later are eligible to apply. The extended abstract should be attached as a Microsoft Word or ASCII text file, and the subject line of the email should be "Extended Abstract for SCB 2007." Abstracts that are not formatted according to these guidelines (and below) will not be accepted.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING ABSTRACTS

Abstracts should be submitted for oral and poster presentations and for invited symposia. Abstracts for symposium presentations are by invitation only.

Please follow the instructions carefully, including all requested information and formatting. Any abstract with errors or omissions will be returned to the sender for correction and runs the risk of missing the abstract submission deadline. Abstracts should be submitted electronically. Web submission is strongly encouraged. To submit your abstract, please click here and complete the form. Thank you.

If you cannot submit your abstract via the Web site, please e-mail your abstract to 2007@conbio.org The abstract should be attached as a Microsoft Word, RTF, or ASCII text file, and the subject line of the e-mail should read "Abstract for SCB 2007" and in the same format of the instructions for abstract submission found below.

Regardless of the method of submission, all abstracts must be received by 8 January 2007. The Local Organising Committee will attempt to notify all authors by 28 February 2007 of the outcome. Abstracts must be submitted according to the following format.

ABSTRACT FORMAT

To submit your abstract please go to the meeting website and fill in the online form. Please do not submit multiple entries for the same abstract. The online form asks for information about the abstract first. The second page of the form is dedicated to authors' information. You will need to submit as many authors' pages as the number of authors figuring on your abstract, up to 8 authors.

Read the instructions carefully and when ready, go online to submit your abstract. Once you have submitted your abstract and realize that you have made a mistake, please contact 2007@conbio.org for further instructions with a detailed description of your mistake(s).

1. Student presentation. Indicate whether the presentation will be given by a student (regardless of whether the student is a candidate for a student award).
2. Type of presentation. Indicate whether the abstract is intended for an Oral, Poster, Either Oral, Poster, or an Invited Symposium presentation, even if you choose to present a speed presentation.
3. Speed Presentation.

   If you consider presenting a speed presentation, please indicate your choice of topic below

   Partnerships for effective conservation
   Global change and conservation challenges beyond boundaries;
   Linking freshwater, marine and terrestrial conservation;
   Interactions between biodiversity and society;
   Biological aspects of conservation
   

4. Name of invited symposium. If applicable, indicate the name of the invited symposium to which the abstract belongs.
5. Authors. List all authors with the name of the presenting author in CAPITAL LETTERS. Order should be last name first for the first author, but first name first for all other authors. Write out full first names.
6. Addresses. List the institutional affiliations and addresses, including countries, for each author in the same order as above. For the presenting author only, include an e-mail address in parentheses at the end of the address. If there are multiple addresses, place the initials of the author in parentheses at the end of each address (see examples below).
7. Title. List the title in CAPITAL LETTERS. Titles are limited to 150 characters.
8. Abstract. No more than 1,500 characters (around 200 words). Begin with a clear statement of the problem or objectives, give brief methods and major results, and end with a substantial conclusion. Do not use vague statements such as "results will be discussed." Follow the instructions given below to indicate any special formatting or symbols within the abstract. Abstracts that exceed the limit will be returned to the author for revision.
9. Comments. List any necessary comments pertaining to your abstract submission, including any special scheduling requests.
10. Contact. Provide the name of the contact person for correspondence, including notification of abstract acceptance and program position. Include the contact person's complete mailing address and country. Also provide an e-mail address and telephone number, including the country and city codes.
11. Topic areas. Please choose from the list of general topic areas to assist us in selecting an appropriate session for your presentation. Indicate your first, second, and third choices. Please give us your three choices even if you want to present a speed presentation.

Adaptive Management and monitoring
Alien and invasive species
Freshwater conservation
Biogeography
Climate change
Communications, outreach and education
Synecological conservation
Societal-driven conservation
Protected area planning and design
Conservation at the land-water interface
Conservation capacity building
Conservation funding and philanthropy
Conservation genetics
Conservation GIS
Conservation in hotspots
Amphibian and reptile conservation
Bird conservation
Fish conservation
Invertebrate conservation
Mammal conservation
Plant conservation
Urban area conservation
Conservation medicine
Conservation of migratory taxa
Conservation of wide-ranging taxa
Conservation on private lands
Desert conservation
Disturbance conservation
Ecological restoration and reconstruction
Environmental or ecological economics
Ecosystem / conservation area management: theory and practice
Environmental anthropology
Environmental geography
Environmental history
Environmental politics and policy
Environmental sociology
Conservation psychology
Environmental law
Grassland conservation
Rangeland conservation
Indigenous knowledge and conservation
Inventory and monitoring
Land use planning for conservation
Landscape ecology
Marine conservation
Mediterranean system conservation
Population dynamics
Population viability analysis
Conservation modelling
Recovery of endangered species
Remote sensing
Risk assessment and uncertainty
Savanna conservation
Scientists and managers: bridging the gap
Spatial ecology and conservation
Sustainable agriculture
Transboundary conservation areas
Wetland conservation
Forest conservation

Other ____________________________

Special Characters and Formatting
Abstracts submitted electronically via the meeting Web site are limited to ASCII text format. Please use the following codes to indicate the use of special formatting and symbols within the abstract. Replace special symbols, such as Greek characters, with their text equivalent whenever possible.

FORMAT/CHARACTER EXAMPLE SUBMISSION EXAMPLE

formatting	appears	ASCII equivelent
italics	Salix nigra	< i >Salix nigra< /i >
underline	Book Title	< u >Book Title< /u >
superscript	km2	km< sup >2< /sup >
subscript	CO2	CO< sub >2< /sub >
degree	°	< degree >
em dash	--	< em >
copyright	©	< copyright >
registered	®	< registered >
trademark	™	< trademark >
plus or minus	±	<+/->
greater than or equal	<=	< great/equal >
less than or equal	>=	< less/equal >
tilde	~	< tilde >
per thousand		< perthousand >

ABSTRACT EXAMPLES

Oral Consider for speed presentation FAKU, JANE, Tandi Q. Myoli, Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa ), jane.faku@nmmu.ac.za LOCAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE IMPACT OF IVORY HUNTING ON BIODIVERSITY Traditionally hunting for ivory was undertaken at a low scale due to the lack of demand among local cultures of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. During the 1700s the arrival of modern fire-arm technology and access to markets elsewhere in Africa and in Europe led to a large increase in demand and hence hunting for ivory. A consequence of this was that hunters also harvested antelope species for meat while draft oxen had localized impacts on grass species composition. This combined with increased ox-wagon traffic lead to accelerated erosion. We conclude that the demand for ivory therefore impacted on other elements of biodiversity. Jane Faku, Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, 6000, South Africa; jane.faku@nmmu.ac.za ; +27 41 504 1111 Spoof abstract; synecological conservation; mammal conservation

Either Oral or Poster Debra Ayres1*, Erica Fleishman2, David Zippin3 1Evolution and Ecology, One Shields Ave., University of California, Davis, Ca 95616; *author for correspondence: (530) 752- 6852; drayres@ucdavis.edu. 2 Center for Conservation Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5020; (650) 725-9914, efleish@stanford.edu. 3 Jones & Stokes, 2841 Junction Ave., Ste. 114, San Jose, CA 95134; (408) 434-2244; dZippin@jsanet.com. GENETIC STRUCTURE OF THE ENDANGERED PLANT CORDYLANTHUS PALMATUS WITHIN SEASONAL ALKALI WETLANDS Cordylanthus palmatus is an annual, hemiparasitic plant that inhabits seasonally flooded wetlands with saline and alkaline soils in California's Central and Livermore valleys. It is pollinated by bees and has water-dispersed seeds. It was state and federally listed as endangered due to small size of and/or threats to the five remaining populations. The goal of our research was to inform conservation strategies for the species by examining genetic diversity and structure using inter-simple-sequence-repeats (ISSR) nuclear DNA markers. We examined 142 individuals of C. palmatus using 118 ISSR DNA fragments and located each individual using GPS. We found that geographically separate populations were genetically distinct, with a FST of 0.23, indicating substantial genetic structure. Within populations, there was no evidence of isolation-by-distance; however, individual vernal pools, where they existed, contained genetically distinct sub-populations. We found no evidence of interspecific hybridization between the congeners. Based on our data we recommend seed banking strategies and seed sources for population augmentation for each population and suggest seed sources for ex-situ populations. This is the first empirical evidence based on nuclear DNA markers of population genetic structure at the level of individual vernal pools. Please schedule after talk by C. Mollis Doug Zifter, Valley Environmental Consulting, 2800 Commerce Ave., San Jose, CA 95134; dzifter@veconsult.com; 408-555-1212 Conservation genetics; wetland ecology; ecological restoration and reconstruction