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1 Download of this e-Bulletin is available at INTECOL Web-site (www.intecol.org)

International Association for Ecology

Vol. 11 No. 2, 30 December 2016

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INTECOL 2017 Beijing, China

Forum

Obituary Notice

Reflections of 10th INTECOL Wetlands Conference

INTECOL 2017 Symposium List

Oceans Past Initiative

Luc Hoffmann

- Closing ceremony wrap up–

INVITATION

INVITATION

The 12th International Congress of Ecology (INTECOL2017 Beijing) organized by INTECOL will be held in Beijing, August 20-25, 2017. As the host of the congress, the Ecological Society of China warmly welcome you to join this meeting together with leaders in ecology from the globe, as well as scientists, educators, practitioners and policy-makers, who are ded-icated to protecting and preserving our planet.The theme of the congress is Ecology and Civilization in a Changing World, which will focus on har-monious and sustainable development among people, nature, and society in the context of global development. During the congress, the issues on the following fields will be thoroughly discussed, i.e., ecosystem service



valuation and sustainable development, culture conser-vation and human well-being, global change, environ-mental change in urbanization, ecosystem restoration and management, biodiversity conservation and eco-system health, ecological civilization, molecular ecol-ogy and ecological genomics.We do hope you can join us for discussing the issues faced by human and finding solutions to them, as well as making new friends from the other regions.We are looking forward to seeing you in Beijing in August 2017!

Congress Highlights

- A once in every four year opportunity to showcase all aspects of the ecological sciences.

- Over 3000 scientists expected to attend.

- 70 general symposia in addition to keynote and ple-nary sessions.

- China-wide field trips designed to showcase the di-versity of China and its distinctive and rich flora.

- As the capital of China, Beijing is connected by air and high speed rail to all major cities in China.

Scientific Program

According to the tradition of previous INTECOL meetings, the Scientific Program of the INTECOL-2017Beijing will cover all fields of ecological scienc-es. The Congress includes plenary lectures, keynote symposia, general symposia (both oral and poster ses-sions), social and association meetings, discussions, and workshops.

Thematic Topics

- Ecosystem services and management

- Global climate change and ecosystem adaptation

- Urbanization and regional environmental change

- Biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem health

- Ecological degradation and ecosystem resto-ration

- Environmental stress and biodiversity conserva-tion

- Industrial ecology and green economy

- Molecular ecology and evolution

- Landscape pattern, process

- Ecohydrology and watershed management

- Paleoecology, ecological dynamics and environ-mental assessment

- Agroecology, sustainable agriculture and rural development

Call for Symposia

The call for Symposia is still open at www.inte-col2017.org. All prospective participants are invited to submit a proposal for a symposium that fits within one of the twelve thematic topics.

Call for Abstracts

The congress website has been comprehensively re-vised, 6 themes and 60 symposia have been published on web. The abstract submission is opened; the dead-line of abstract submission is Feb. 10, 2017.

Contact

INTECOL2017Beijing Congress Secretariat Shuangqing Road 18, Haidian District, Beijing 100085 P. R. China Tel: +86-10-6284 9101, Fax: +86-10-6284 9113 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.intecol2017.org



Symposium List

The title of the symposium Principal organizer Nation of Principal organizer

Conservation, ecotourism and human health: ecological consequences of cultural differences inattitudestonature Ralf Buckley Australia

Ecosystem-service-based Management: Science and Policies Shang Chen China

Can Art help Science to think out of the box ? JuulLimpens Netherlands

Remote sensing for ecosystem services Bingfang Wu China

EcoScience + Art: Interdisciplinary collaboration between ecosystem science and art to enhance ecological communication and resilience

ChangwooAhn USA

Sustainable and climate smart land management to enhance dryland ecosystems services Zengming Song China

Ecosystem services in the built environment Teresa Balser Australia

Ecosystem services and management SurayyaTeki India

Civilization and ecology in the Anthropocene: Improving a broken relationship? Peter Søgaard Jørgensen Sweden

Recent progress and next challenges toward cross-scale understanding on ecosystem structure and function by remote sensing

Hibiki M. Noda Japan

Alpine ecosystems in the 21st century and beyond: structure, function and ecosystem services Laszlo Nagy, Brasil

Global climate change and ecosystem adaptation Mai, Doan Huong Vietnam

Forest adaptation under global change : threats and opportunities for sustainable rural development Ignacio J. Diaz-Maroto Spain

Synthesizing macrosystem ecology across the long term ecological research network Shuli Niu China

Modeling species distributions and functional responses under global change Brendan Mackey Australia

Climate change and land use/land cover change on hydrology: modelling Ping Zhou China

Linking ecological observations in space and time for global understanding of environmental change Tim Clancy Australia



Eastern Asian grasslands under environmental changes towards sustainable future Mitsuru HIROTA Japan

Interactive Effects of Climate Change and Land Management on Vegetation Dynamics and Ecosystem Functions: Field Evidence and Modeling Projections

Ge Sun USA

Urban ecosystem services, ecological infrastructure and ecological management Feng Li China

Building urban green infrastructure for resilient ecosystem services in socio-ecological systems: theories, strategies, and practices Fanhua Kong China

Biological Adaptation in Urban Environments- Drivers, Responses and Implications for Future Cities Mark McDonnell Australia

Understanding ecosystem carbon dynamics from field manipulative experiments Junwei Luan China

Biodiversity Monitoring for Global Conservation Targets Haigen XU China

Ecosystem Health in Practice: Challenges and Opportunities in Restoring Health to the World’s Large-Scale Ecosystem David J. Rapport Canada

LIFE COMMUNITY Yaozong Feng China

Vegetation transitions in boreal & arctic ecosystems: mechanisms and consequences

JuulLimpens ,XianweiWang Netherlands,China

Karst Ecosystem : Global to Local Significance, Degradation and Restoration Jianhua Cao China

Structure and function of forest canopy trees, recent research advances Kunfang Cao China

Plant resistance to drought: from trait syntheses at plant-scale to vegetation models Maurizio Mencuccini UK

Karst biodiversity: understanding diversity and threats in Asias forgotten ecosystem Alice C. Hughes UK

Assessing changes in Asian ecosystems and biodiversity with special reference to threats and restorations through human activities

Shin-ichi Nakano Japan

Insights into environmental stress in West Africa and their implications on biodiversity conservation in the sub-region

Oluseun Sunday Olubode Nigeria

Patterns of freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem management Boping Han China

Modern synthetic approaches to Taylor’s Law and mean-variance scaling, and applications in pure and applied ecology Daniel C. Reuman USA

Species in a changing world: the population perspective Edgar J. González Mexico



Role of ecological non-monotonocity in regulating stability and persistence of ecosystems Zhibin Zhang China

Conservation of tropical plant diversity and ecosystem functions Wenxing Long China

Industrial Ecology for Sustainable Industrial and Urban Development Transition Lei Shi China

Plant clonality in changing environments: Responses and effects Ming Dong China

Landscape ecology and biodiversity conservation Zehao Shen China

The importance of biodiversity in human-modified landscapes Marc W. Cadotte Cannada

Landscape homogenization and intensification: patterns of change Sandra Luque France

Achieving land degradation neutrality: challenges to sustainable development of all countries Mauro Centritto Italy

Eco-hydrological Processes in the changing world: Knowledge and Application Genxu Wang China

Freshwater Ecosystem Restoration and Ecosystem Services Yixin Zhang China

Moving towards a new understanding of ecohydrological processes across scales Shirong Liu China

Ecohydrology and Watershed Management Chansheng He China

Blue Carbon: A key ecosystem service in coastal wetlands Jianwu Tang USA

Ecosystem adaptation to extreme events at watershed scale QinghuaCai China

Wildfire ecology and life evolution: from ancient time to present Tianhua He Australia

Paleoecology, ecological dynamics and environmental assessment Qibin Zhang China

Eco-cultural Solution of Global Island Issues Sun-Kee Hong Korea

Ecological agriculture and Forestry: Environmental sustainability, food safety and increased productivity Shiming Luo China

Ecosystem Services and Management of Agricultural Heritage Systems Qingwen Min China



Reflections of 10th INTECOL Wetlands Conference- Closing ceremony wrap up–

Jos Verhoeven (A member of INTECOL Board, Universiteit Utrecht, [email protected]), Jane Madgwick(Wetlands International CEO, [email protected])

JOS : Jane and I are going to share some reflections on the Conference. But we want to start by thanking the Government of the People’s Republic of China, Nan-jing University, Changshu Government and - Nanjing University Ecological Research Institute of Changshu, and the other organizations for hosting, sponsoring and

contributing to the 10th INTECOL International Wet-lands Conference.

JANE : When people look back, conferences are al-ways remembered and characterized by the place where they were held – and the people there. Changshu City, the venue, the people and the hospitality have all been great haven’t they? What has impressed you the most?

JOS: These organizations have hosted this huge in-ternational conference and have supported it in a phe-nomenal way with infrastructure, transport, and in cre-ating a warm, collaborative spirit of exchanging ideas and experiences on wetland science and practice.

JOS : The city of Changshu in particular has also invested much thought, manpower and funding in the creation and restoration of wetlands and wetland parks. It’s excellent that Changshu City is set to become the first Ramsar Wetland City isn’t it?

JANE : Yes, it’s very encouraging. And wetlands in cities are so important for human well-being. We see the importance of wetlands in the urban environment is coming up as a theme all over the world. China has real-ly embraced this with its series of wetland parks. More broadly we have heard and seen ay this Conference how China is really committed at all levels of government to conserve and rehabilitate wetlands. There are some big challenges, but there is also plenty of action.



JANE : But let’s talk about the science. My impres-sion is that there has been a lot of energy and technical exchange and networking going on over the last days. Do you think the conference has succeeded in further-ing INTECOL’s mission to bring together scientists and practitioners to help them work together towards wise use of wetlands?

JOS : Yes. And in particular, we’ve seen a strong engagement of NGOs, like Wetlands International and WWF at this conference, helping to make a link between science, policy and practice.Some of the ses-sions were totally devoted to wise use challenges.

JANE : One of the aims of Intecol is to present novel wetland research to an audience of scientists and prac-titioners. Has this been well addressed? Have the new developments been discussed here?

JOS : There were many of such highlights during this conference, almost too many to mention. It struck me that wetland science succeeds more and more to become multidisciplinary. We had this before for the fields of biology, hydrology and soil science. In this conference there were quite some examples of stake-holder involvement with inputs from economists and social scientists. Ecosystem services have never been explained on a wetland conference so well and have been part of many presentations. Then a very urgently needed bridge comes in sight and has even been built in some cases: the need to scale up from local studies and evaluate what the importance is of the functioning of wetlands is in a complete river catchment and how biodiversity and ecosystem services can be enhanced in that context.

JANE : The first plenary I heard surprised me a lot. I wondered if I was in the right conference, as Betsy Damon talked a lot about water and art and even love!

But thinking about it and looking around in China at how art, cultural and spiritual symbols are blended with nature in watery landscapes, I guess the topic is very appropriate to raise here. How do you see this? Is it something Intecol might continue with for future con-ferences?

JOS : Yes Betsy’s talk nicely combined art and sci-ence. She uses her artistic talents to design functional wetlands which are also very harmonious for humans to experience. It is a combination of nature-oriented ar-chitecture and skillful engineering based on scientific understanding of wetland functioning.

JANE : I think the link between human livelihoods and wetland condition has been touched on during the Conference. I’m wondering to what extent the role of wetlands in helping to prevent and reduce the risks of water related disasters was addressed? This is some-thing that Wetlands International is being called in to work on more. How to build back wetland systems to reduce disaster risks across whole landscapes.

JOS : Yes it was touched on – but this is perhaps an example of a topic that needs more attention in future Intecol conferences. The study of wise use of wetlands to the benefit of livelihoods and for poverty alleviation has made much progress in the past decades. NGOs like Wetlands International and the Ramsar Convention have starteded many initiatives that are worth discuss-ing in the next Wetlands conference.

JOS : Today we’re going to adopt and launch the Changshu Declaration. Whilst this comes from a sci-ence conference, the Declaration includes a strong out-reach and call for action to many different sectors. I’m wondering how you see this – and how organisations like Wetlands International can help take this forward?



JANE : Yes, I was pleased to see the Declaration – and its call for urgent action to many sectors. I think it’s useful and we will certainly communicate it far and wide. The agreement of the SDGs by all governments last year – and the explicit reference to wetlands in these, gives a new platform – and should result in new momentum. Organisations like WI, working in collab-oration with agricultural producers, water engineers, humanitarian organisations and others, can help to con-nect these agendas – and to get investments in wetlands as part of development and climate action.

JANE : So, all in all, this 10thIntecol has been a great success don’t you think?

JOS : Yes it has been a terrific conference! I have been to all but 1 previous INTECOL Wetlands meetings and they have all been extremely good and worthwhile. In a sense you could say that the standard is quite high. Still I think that you with 1200 participants from 68 coun-tries and with this great venue, the carefully designed conference agenda, the abstract book, programme, the excellent meals and extremely good atmosphere brought about by staff and countless volunteers, have done extremely well. You have certainly lived up to the standard entirely! The number 10 is a crown number! I want to put that crown on this 10th INTECOL Interna-tional Wetlands Conference!



Forum

Oceans Past Initiative

These are exciting times to be researchers of Oceans Past. We are enjoying scientific breakthroughs that are truly expanding our understanding of changes in the sea – and are increasingly becoming important to ma-rine management. We employ new methodologies and new approaches that are shifting and deepening our un-derstanding of what once was a big unknowable. It is all happening at breakneck speed and in a myriad of contexts. This newsletter is designed to help us all keep abreast of information, opportunities, and connections to be made. I hope the newsletter will be a simple and efficient tool. It will only be as good as we all make it so I encourage you to share information. Let’s build on our community’s willingness to share.

OCEANS PAST SPOTLIGHT

Based at the University of Hull in England, the Oceans Past Initiative (OPI) data repositories house a wealth of information about marine eco-systems through time. Intended to engage across the community, these repositories are maintained in accordance with international data management standards, and the integrity of these datasets was verified through peer review, published documents (books, journals, etc.), and via academic and pub-lic engagement. All OPI datasets are also under-pinned with specific metadata to inform users on the information they are accessing. These metada-ta take the form of concise documentation that de-

scribes the research, processes, methodologies and compilation of the original data and the means by which the dataset was produced.

SOME CONCEPTS EXPLAINED

What is a repository?

A centrally located computer server, with redun-dant backups and security measures in place,that can store and manage data.

(e.g. HYDRA Repository - https://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:HMAPDisplaySet)

What is a database?

Data held in an archive, typically in a computer in

Dr. Poul HolmChair, Oceans Past Initiative

e-mail: [email protected]



digital form, in a structured and formatted way that can be accessed in diverse ways.

What is a dataset?

Compiled information set that has been specifically formatted into a structured unit so that it can be used as a distinct entity, typically by a computer.

What is metadata?

Metadata is data about data. It explains, describes, and provides relevant information about a dataset or a database (e.g. how and by whom the data was collect-ed).

What is aggregated data?

Collection of data extracted from a series of data sources, such as databases and datasets and com-piled into an accessible and exchangeable format

OPI is also working with the Intergovernmen-tal Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, In-ternational Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) and Ocean Biogeographic In-formation System (OBIS), to provide aggregated datasets to the Big Data community. To date, we provide 22 complete datasets that span the world’s oceans and seas, from Australia to Peru, from the Galapagos to the Arctic, and from the Antarctic to the South China Sea.New datasets are being pro-duced and developed in accordance withour strict guidelines, including a unique British Southern Whale Fishery database. In yet another develop-ment, in conjunction with OBIS and the Charles Darwin Institute, we are developing new datasets of Sea Cucumber fisheries in the Galapagos to as-

sist with UNESCO’s awareness drive around en-dangered species. Links to the current datasets in various formats can be found at: http://www.hull.ac.uk/hmap/index.htm.

RESEARCH

Collaboration to understand swordfish in the Medi-terranean

Swordfish is an iconic fish species in the world’s oceans and easily recognized. It is also highly valued and has supported commercial fisheries in the Medi-terranean Sea for millennia. Researchers are now in-vestigating whether another potential and unutilized source of long-term swordfish data is available. They analysed bycatch records in coastally-deployed bluefin tuna traps in Italy during the late 1800s and 1900s to in-vestigate whether swordfish have been captured in this fishing gear. Capture by these gear as bycatch could reveal new insights to swordfish biology (e. g., distri-bution, migratory behaviour, abundance), and how it has responded as fishing intensity and methods have changed over time. The results could be used to im-prove the ICCAT management strategy of this import-ant fishing resource in the Mediterranean Sea.

112 years of change in North Sea skates and sharks

Using historical data, researchers found there has been afundamental shift in the skate and shark as-semblages in the NorthSea from larger, more valu-able and more vulnerable species historically to those smaller, more resilient and less economical-lyvaluable. In addition to identifying these shifts, these scientists werethe first to show how trends resulted from the combined impacts offishing, cli-



mate change, and habitat loss. Given that these pressuressimilarly affect shelf seas worldwide, findings have implications forsharks and skates globally. The research also further identified key-nursery and feeding areas for sharks and rays in the North Sea,including species classified as “High Risk” by the IUCN Red List.

Research aims to understand loss of fall herring in the Gulf of Riga

Autumn spawning herring were very abundant in the Baltic Sea a century ago, and contributed to approximately 90% of herring catches. How-ever, autumn spawners almost disappeared from the Baltic Sea during the 20th century. For ex-ample, they declined in the Gulf of Riga during and after the late 1970s, after anotable peak in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Henn Ojaveer(Uni-versity of Tartu)and Brian MacKenzie(Technical Univeristy of Denmark) have reconstructed catch statistics for the autumn spawning herring in the Gulf of Riga since the 1920s and retrieved other historical fishery data (including catch by age for the 1950s-1970s) to assess whether the fishery was a main driver in the decline of the Gulf of Riga stock.

Has eutrophication promoted forage fish production in the Baltic Sea?

A study in the Baltic Sea using historical evidence to help researchers understand how fish popula-tions react to changes in nutrient concentrations. The study utilizes long time series of fish moni-toring data combined with modelled nutrient con-

centrations to explore how a multi-fold increase in nutrient loads from the 1950s to 1980s enhanced sprat and herring productivity in the Baltic. Re-sults suggest the increased nutrients enhanced the absolute level of fish biomass in some years via in-creased body weight of the fish, but that additional and independent trends in especially sprat biomass also occurred, largely driven by climate and top-down control (predation, fishing). Collectively, this research illuminated impacts of nutrient load-ing alongside those of other prevailing ecosystem and climate conditions, and illustrates the value of long datasets for attempting to attribute changes in production and biomass to human impacts.

Maritime History Down Under

The IMEHA International Congress on Maritime History took place 27 June to 1 July at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia, the first time the Congress has been held in the Southern Hemisphere. With the theme of “Old Worlds, New Worlds? Emerging themes in maritime history”, presentations included a secret Spanish plot to rid thePacific region of the British in 1796, bubonic plague in Fremantle in 1900, and how modern China was shaped by the maritime world. The Congress was attended by 144 delegates from all over the world, and key events included a visit to a private art gallery with extensive Dutch maritime works and a tour of the Naval Base south of Perth.



Obituary for Luc Hoffmann

Luc (Hans Lukas) Hoffmann, ecologist, conservation-ist, born 23 January 1923; died 21 July 2016.

Luc Hoffmann, who has passed away aged 93, was one of the last surviving greats of 20th-century nature conservation. As co-founder of the World Wildlife Fund, he helped turn conservation from a parochial, insular pursuit into a truly international movement.

Luc was born in Basel, Switzerland. His grandfather, Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche, founded the pharmaceutical company of the same name in 1896. During his youth he developed a passion for the natural world, especially birds. He published his first academic paper – on the un-likely subject of migrant seabirds in the Basel region – at the age of 18 in 1941. That year, he began his studies in botany and zoology at the city’s university, but these were interrupted when he was conscripted into the Swiss army. Once the war was over, he returned to academ-ic life, earning a PhD for his studies of the behavior of common tern chicks in the Camargue.

Captivated by this unique wetland, in 1954 Hoffmann set up the Tour du Valat biological research station, which became one of the leading institutions of its kind in Europe. In 1961, Hoffmann was one of the signatories to a groundbreaking agreement that paved the way for the founding of the WWF, and he became the organi-

zation’s first vice-president. In 1971 Hoffmann helped set up the Ramsar Convention, which for the first time provided cross-border protection for wetlands and their wildlife. Coming into force in 1975, the convention now covers 160 countries, making it one of the most effective measures to protect habitats across the globe.

In 1994, Hoffmann used his family wealth to endow the Mava Foundation, which continues to fund nature conservation projects around the globe. In 2012 Mava, along with the WWF, set up the Luc Hoffmann Institute, which focuses on the promotion of sustainable devel-opment in an increasingly globalized and profit-driven world. Continuing the philosophy of its founder, the institute concentrates on finding practical solutions that will benefit both nature and people.

Dr. Luc Hoffmann received the INTECOL Interna-tional Award for Wetland Conservation during the 7th INTECOL International Wetland Conference in Utrecht in July 2004.

La Tour du Valat, July 29, 2016

The Guardian, August 1, 2016

Report from Jos VerhoevenA member of INTECOL Board

([email protected])

Luc Hoffmann, a life dedicated to Nature Conservation



INTECOL, International Association for EcologyINTECOL is affiliated with the ICSU family of scientific organizations as the section responsible for general ecology within the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS). The association will assist and/or support the development of the science of ecology and the application of ecological prin-ciples to global problems, especially by assisting international cooperation; the collection, evaluation and distribution of information about ecology; national, regional and international actions which will serve ecological research, training of personal, coordination of general publications of ecological prin-ciples and the recognition of the importance of ecology for economy and society; the organization of conferences, meetings, symposia, programs and projects, conduct of speaking-series, publication of manuscripts, and measures which are deemed necessary to reach the goals of the association.

Shona Myers, New Zealand ([email protected])Alan Covich, USA ([email protected])Bojie Fu, China ([email protected])Eun-Shik Kim, Korea ([email protected])Azim Mallik, Canada ([email protected])Sun-Kee Hong, Korea ([email protected])Jos Verhoeven, Netherlands ([email protected])

http://www.intecol.orgSun-Kee Hong ([email protected])

John Grace, UK ([email protected])Craig James, Australia ([email protected])

Peter Søgaard Jørgensen, Denmark ([email protected])John A Lee, UK ([email protected])

Shirong Liu, China ([email protected])Manuel Maass, Mexico ([email protected])Silvia De Marco, Argentina ([email protected])Bernd Markert, Germany ([email protected])

Akira Miyawaki, Japan ([email protected])Shin-ichi Nakano, Japan ([email protected])

Rebecca R. Sharitz, USA ([email protected])R. Eugene Turner, USA ([email protected])

Naupaka B. Zimmerman, USA ([email protected])

Officers and Executive Board MembersOfficers

Executive Board Members

Deadline for sending information for next e-BulletinVol. 11 No. 2, 31 March 2017

President :Past President :Vice President :

Secretary General :Treasurer :

Bulletin Editor :Advisor to Working Groups :

Website :Bulletin Editor :

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