London Branch AGM and Talk - Counting on Nature; What has Biodiversity done for us
Start/Finish date: 16th November 2011 AGM 5.45pm - Talk 6pm
Location: Society of Biology, Charles Darwin House, 12 Roger Street, London WC1N 2JU
Member Price: £9.00
Non-Member Price: £9.00
Event type: Lecture
Available Places: 30
Event Summary
AGM followed by Talk in which Ken Thompson of Sheffield University asks - How much do we really know about the species that make up the natural world and how they interrelate? In particular, how many species are there, what (if anything) are they worth in purely economic terms and would it really matter if we lost some iconic species such as the panda?
Event description
Biodiversity loss should primarily be seen not as a problem in itself, but as a symptom of a deeper crisis; and, as any doctor will tell you, treating the symptoms rather than the underlying disease rarely leads to a lasting cure. We need to look at ecosystems rather than biodiversity per se. Conservation was born out of crisis, and has never shaken off that inheritance. Despite pioneers like John Muir and Aldo Leopold being interested in wilderness as much for its own sake as for the animals and plants it sheltered, the priority of modern conservation has always been preventing extinctions. Inevitably, therefore, it's always been preoccupied with rarity. Although there are worldwide threats to biodiversity, we normally hear most about iconic species - such as the giant panda, the Yangtze dolphin or the > mountain gorilla - that people fight to conserve. When we lose these species we are all the poorer, but not in any measurable material sense - for their loss would not lead to irreparable damage to ecosystems.
Our modern, highly fertile landscape created by intensive farming delivers cheap food (for both animals and people) in unprecedented quantities, and that is an important ecosystem service in its own right - but unfortunately that's all it delivers. Our challenge is to devise multifunctional landscapes that also deliver better water quality, less soil erosion, more carbon storage and healthier and happier livestock, and are also less dependent on cheap oil and phosphorus. If we can do that, then plants, moths, butterflies, bumblebees and birds will all gain too, but these biodiversity benefits will only be welcome side-effects of fixing the fundamental controls on ecosystem functioning. Assuming that if only we can fix the biodiversity crisis, all will be well with the world, is (literally, in many cases) to fail to see the wood for the trees.
The AGM wil start at 5.45pm and is free and open to all. Non members can attend but cannot vote. If anyone would like to join the committee or has an item for the agenda please email Cliff Collis. The talk will start at approximately 6pm and is open to all as well. Members are most welcome to bring their guests. Admission to the talk is by tickets only at £9 per person (students £5) which includes a buffet and wine.
For tickets please send a cheque made out to ‘The London Branch of the Society of Biology’ and your email address to:
Mrs V Smith
Walnut Cottage
Stow Road
Stow Maries
ESSEX, CM3 6RR
further information on the AGM or Talk email cliffcollis@societyofbiology.org.
If you wish to pay by card call Cliff Collis on 020 7685 2559 (Tuesday - Thursday)
Contact
Dr Cliff Collis
Email: cliffcollis@societyofbiology.org
Telephone: 020 7685 2559 (Tuesday - Thursday)
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