Science&Health: Summit to link politics, environment
By Seda Terzyan
Feb. 7, 2007 10:36 p.m.
The Institute of the Environment is hosting a three-day summit this week at UCLA to discuss the effects of human inflicted changes on natural evolutionary processes in the environment.
Scientists and policymakers from more than 20 countries will present the newest research done on topics such as the effects of breeding species in captivity, habitat degradation, global climate change and the introduction of invasive species into unsuspecting ecosystems.
Thomas Smith, the co-organizer of the summit, said these problems have received inadequate attention in the past and said he hopes the summit will bring to light underlying issues that have been ignored in recent years.
Most of the attention in this field has been given to conservation of species and extinction prevention, but these human actions, among others, are affecting evolutionary processes of nature.
For example, attendees will exchange thoughts about how breeding animals in captivity could be affecting their populations in the wild, said Smith, professor of biology and director of the Center for Tropical Research.
The implications of deforestation and habitat destruction will be addressed and new research will be presented on what can be done to maintain genetic diversity within the plant and animal populations.
Global climate change and its consequences, as observed by researchers during their study of bird populations around the world, will also be a topic, Smith said.
Smith began planning the summit five years ago with a colleague in an attempt to fill the communication gaps between scientific research and policy decisions.
“We wanted to do something more than just have a symposium for scientific discussion.” Smith said.
“The goal is to bridge the gap between scientists and policymakers everywhere.”
Forty-four scientists will be presenting their recent research within the sphere of human and environment interactions
According to Smith, the people who were selected to speak are among the best and most knowledgeable in their area of expertise.
The opportunity to present individual research during the summit is not limited to invited speakers. More than 100 posters will be presented by students, faculty and scientists from all over the world.
Of the 74 that applied, 38 graduate students and post-doctoral researchers who had submitted posters displaying details of their research were awarded grant money from the Institute of the Environment, said Jean Savage, administrative analyst for the Center for Tropical Research.
“It’s the students who can make a difference in the world,” said Kathleen Morgan, program manager of the conference, about the student involvement and work done in related fields. “They are the future.”
In addition to many forms of scientific presentation of issues ranging from deforestation to plant and animal species, the event will be strongly shaped by the Policy Advisory Committee, said Mary Nichols, director of the Institute of the Environment and the policy lead for the summit.
The committee will be translating the science for the policymakers who will then discuss the implications.
There is going to be a lot of discussion about what needs to be changed in terms of making policy and understanding the science that is presented, Nichols said.
To ensure that everyone is understanding one another, at the conclusion of the day’s events, a working session will be held for the speakers to put together everything that is presented, Thomas said.
The goal, he said, is to get this information out to the public as quickly and efficiently as possible.
In order to disperse the information shared during the summit, a report called “White Paper” will be published after the event for the general public, Nichols said.
The report will contain a collection of comments and opinions made by both the scientists and the conservation policy leaders about the presented information.
Creating policy is difficult to do because of all the forces that influence decisionmaking, such as different government and political agencies, Nichols said.
But, an event of this magnitude that is literally bringing these two groups ““ who usually do not sit down together”“ face to face, will make a difference, she added.
