US-India Workshop: Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity, and Human Welfare; Bangalore, India, July 15 - 18, 2001

University Of Massachusetts Boston, Dorchester MA

Investigators

Abstract

0097030 Bawa Description: This award supports participation of a large delegation of US natural scientists, social scientists, and policy makers at the US-India Workshop: Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity, and Human Welfare, Bangalore, India, July 2001. Co-organizers are Professors Kamaljit Bawa, University of Massachusetts Boston and Uma Shaankar, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore. In recent years, knowledge of tropical biota and ecosystems has expanded; also, its scope has broadened to include social and economic dimensions of land use change and habitat loss. The goals of the conference are to review recent developments in tropical biology including management and conservation of ecosystems and to define priorities for future research. A post-conference meeting on Advancing Frontiers in Tropical Biology will bring together selected US tropical biologists, their Indian counterparts, and graduate students to discuss the latest conceptual and analytical advances, and explore collaboration. Scope: This is the first major international conference on ecology, conservation and management of tropical ecosystems held since 1982 that will define future priorities for tropical biology. The timing capitalizes on new opportunities offered by the rapidly expanding knowledge base and new insights on the impact of human induced change on tropical ecosystems. It will involve scientists from the tropics and enable 30 to 40 US scientists, postdocs, and graduate students to travel to Bangalore, India where they will participate in the conference, post-conference activities, field trips and discussions on collaboration. This award is supported by the Division of International Programs and the Division of Environmental Biology.