Conference Post - State of Biodiversity

The first 'real' day of conference is almost over with a ton of very interesting contributions. Participants are very enthusiastic - a happy crowd that had a lot of fun with our drone-supported group photo. As soon as I have the first images, I'll post them. Promise!

I am a little sad that I didn't had as much time for all of today's sessions as I had hoped to. The national media picked this first conference day for their interviews and filming. We will see the outcome tomorrow in various news shows across Canada. I'll make sure to share that as well.

Credit: Angela Telfer

In case you belong to the group of people that see Twitter as a trend monitoring tool the hit of the conference is: The Barcode beer.

There is  really active Twitter community on the conference. Friends, keep them coming and don't forget the hashtag #dnabarcodes2015 .

Day 2 tomorrow will end with a big public event which is also open to the public:

Summary: Chaired by Dr. Brock Fenton, this public event features a distinguished panel of leading scientists who will discuss the diversity of species on our planet, the challenges they face, and measures needed to protect them. Presentations will cover threats to birds and bees, as well as more difficult to study species from the arctic and marine biomes. They will also explore the value of DNA-based approaches for bio-literacy. From an examination of extinction rates to emerging perspectives on how to monitor and conserve biodiversity, this session will be of broad interest to those concerned with understanding the changing status of the natural world.

Welcome Reception Hosted by the Guelph Chamber of Commerce and Visit Guelph

Featuring the local flavours, sights and sounds of Guelph

Introduction & Opening Remarks

Kithio Mwania, President and CEO, Guelph Chamber of Commerce

Karl Tibelius, Vice-President, Genomics Programs, Genome Canada

Brock Fenton, Professor Emeritus, University of Western Ontario

Plenary Speakers:

Laurence Packer, Professor of Biology, York University

Monte Hummel, President Emeritus, WWF Canada

Stuart Pimm, Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology, Duke University

Intermission:

Plenary Speakers Continued:

Bridget Stutchbury, Professor of Biology & Canada Research Chair in Ecology and Conservation Biology, York University

Paul Snelgrove, Professor of Biology & Canada Research Chair in Boreal and Cold Ocean Systems, Memorial University of Newfoundland

David Hik, Professor of Biology, University of Alberta

Brock Fenton

Closing Remarks