International Conference “Mires and Wilderness”
18th – 20th April 2011 Tartu, Estonia
The Estonian Fund for Nature invitesYou to the international conference “Mires and Wilderness”, which will be held in Tartu, Estonia from 18th to 20stApril 2011. The conference purpose is to bring together leading mire scientists and specialists, and other interested partiesto present and discuss the latest developments in mire conservation and management and to continue exchange of information between different countries. Main themes of the conference are mire conservation, management and restoration in connection of wilderness concept. Also Ramsar Convention, wetland and wilderness policies, and lessons learnt from latest wetland projects will be discussed.
Organiser
Conference will be organized by Estonian Fund for Nature in co-operation with Estonian Environmental Board in frame of project “Estonian Mires Inventory completion for maintaining biodiversity“. A field inventory of 13,000 mires of different types was implemented from 2009 until 2010 with the aim to obtain complete overview of the nature conservation value of these habitats. The project is financially supported by the EEA and Norway Grants and Estonian Environmental Investment Centre.
Organising committee: prof. Jaanus Paal (University ofTartu), Mati Ilomets/Raimo Pajula (University of Tallinn), Agu Leivits (Estonian Environmental Board), Herdis Fridolin (MoE of Estonia), Jüri-Ott Salm (CEO of ELF), Taime Puura (ELF).
Outline of the Programme
Date / DescriptionMonday 18th April / Arrival. Field trip by barge in meadow of river Emajõgi.
Dinner on the barge.
Start from Tartu at 17.00 in front of hotel London.
Tuesday 19th April / Plenary session in Conference Hall of the Library of Tartu University, W.Struve 1;
Wilderness, a common vision in policy and field work through continents. Mires and wilderness. Management and restoration
Poster presentations
Conference dinner. Celebrating 40 years of Ramsar convention and 20 years of Estonian Fund for Nature, Historical Museum of Tartu University, Lossi 25, Tartu;
Wednesday 20th 2011 / Field trip to SoomaaNational Parkand Ethnic dinner.
Thursday 21th April / Departure
Conference language is English. Translation into English-Estonian-English is available.
Tuesday 19 April 2011
Opening ceremony
10.00 – 10.30
Estonian Fund for Nature, Estonian Ministry of the Environment/Estonian Environmental Board, The Royal Norwegian Embassy .
10.30 – 11.30
Plenary (morning session): Wilderness, a common vision in policy and field work through continents
Wilderness in the new European biodiversity agenda.Olli Ojala, European Commission
Protecting wilderness across North America, provisional of US National Park Service
11.30-12.00 Coffee break
12.00-13.00
Plenary (morning session): Mires and wilderness
Mires as green infrastructures and their ecological (or wilderness) services. prof Hans Joosten (GreifswaldUniversity).
Wilderness and the Ramsar convention, Tobias Salathe (Secretariat of Ramsar Convention).
13.00-14.00 Lunch
14.00-15.30
Plenary (afternoon session): Mires and wilderness
Status of mires and effects by human disturbance on these ecosystems, an overview of relevant policies and ongoing activities in Finland. Not confirmed.
Mires types diversity on the North-West of European Russia and its conservation status"prof. Viktor Smagin, (Komarov Botanical Institute of Russia, Academy of Science, St Petersburg).
An overview to Estonia’s wetlands and their wilderness values, results of the Estonian Mires Inventory completion for maintaining biodiversity and presentation of the publication, prof. Jaanus Paal, University of Tartu,
Discussion
16.00-17.00 Poster session and coffee break.
18.00. Conference dinner/reception
Historical Museum of TartuUniversity, Lossi 25, Tartu.
Venue
The conference will be held in Tartu (Central Estonia). Plenary session in Conference Hall of the Library of Tartu University, W.Struve 1;
Field trips
18.04.11 - Field trip by barge in meadow of river Emajõgi. Dinner on the barge. Start from Tartu at 17.00 in front of hotel London.
20.04.11 – Field trip to SoomaaNational Park.
Please be sure to bring wet weather gear and waterproof footwear.Changes in the program can be made according the weather conditions.
Accommodation
It will be possible to book hotel places during the registration
Poster presentation
If you wish to deliver poster presentation, please submit Abstracts in English, with a maximum of 2 pages (including figures, tables and references) by 10thMarch 2011. Authors will be notified of acceptance by 25thMarch 2011. A Word document template is downloadable from
The presenting author of a selected abstract commits himself/herself to attend the Conference and present the poster at the time decided upon by the Organizing Committee.
Proposed Contributed Poster Session Topics:
- mire conservation and management – preservation of wilderness
- mires ecological services
- mires and wilderness policies
- project presentations on mires management
- mires restoration
- other
Conference Registration
To register for the conference at website
or contact the Estonian Fund for Nature by e-mail to fore March30th 2011.
Travel
Please visitTartu County Tourism Foundation web page
Transport and travel for participants is not organized by ELF.
Contact
Estonian Fund for Nature, project manager Taime Puura, e-mail: , tel. +372 5265169
Provisional Timeline
Date / Activity16thDecember 2010 / First Notice for Meeting
1stFebruary 2011 / Registration open
10thMarch 2011 / Deadline for submission of Abstracts
25thMarch 2011 / Notification to of acceptance
25thMarch 2010 / Finalised program
30thMarch 2011 / Registration closed