coelacanth
Well-known member
Freshwater Biological Association north east region meeting
Environment Agency, Tyneside House, Newcastle
December 16th, 2009
The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) north east region group will be holding its winter meeting on December 16th 2009 at the Environment Agency, Tyneside House, Newcastle, NE4 7AR.
The meeting will have a theme of The Future of Freshwater Monitoring. The current economic downturn means that we will be working with fewer resources, despite the need to increase the level of monitoring to meet evolving legislative and policy objectives. This event seeks to bring together delegates who have an interest in biomonitoring of streams, rivers, ponds, wetlands, lakes and canals, including academics, consultants, planners and specialist interest groups to discuss how they are working together to respond to such challenges.
The aim of the meeting is to look at
• the current ways we measure the health of freshwaters and explore the future of aquatic monitoring programmes to ensure our precious resource is protected and improved.
• how we can be innovative in providing decision makers with a robust evidence base in times of economic downturn.
The meeting will be divided into two sub themes
1. Freshwater Monitoring – Scientific Theory to Practice - The way in which science and research is influencing current and future aquatic monitoring programmes and the decision making process in the north east and how this is translated in practice.
2. Community Involvement - The implementation of freshwater monitoring programmes using members of the public. Can this help ease the squeeze in current funding and provide the robust evidence base that we require?
The meeting will be opened and the first session chaired by Frank De Planta, Monitoring Manager for the Environment Agency's Yorkshire and North East Region. Frank is a business manager responsible for the delivery of the Environment Agency's freshwater monitoring programme across the north east.
Dr Malcolm Newson will Chair the session on Community Involvement. As a former leader of academic research into sustainable river basin management at Newcastle University and from his current position as Director of the Tyne Rivers Trust, Malcolm will provide a perfect steer for this session and give a valuable insight into the Trusts experiences of community based monitoring
Dr Martyn Kelly of Bowburn Consultancy is in the unusual position of being involved in both academic research and as a practitioner directly involved in service delivery for Government Agencies. Martyn developed the Trophic Diatom Index, a technique used by Environment Agency to measure eutrophication in urban rivers, most notably for the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. Martyn has kindly agreed to speak about his experience of spanning the gap between academics and practitioners and how important this is if future objectives are to be met.
More broadly the meeting offers opportunities to: increase awareness of the range of freshwater ecology work being undertaken in the north east region, provide opportunities for discussion among a spectrum of practitioners, and act as an impetus for future collaborative work and knowledge exchange between different parties.
We would like to take this opportunity to invite submissions for oral (15-20 min) presentations from all interested parties. Full details of how to register for this event and submit proposals for presentations can be found below and at www.fba.org.uk. The deadline for registration forms is December 2nd, 2009.
Delegates wishing to give an oral presentation at the meeting should contact: andrew.goodman@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Any general enquiries should also be directed to this email address or via telephone on 0191 203 4282.
The cost of attending the meeting is: £20 (FBA members), £30 (non FBA members), £10 (student FBA members), £20 (student non-members). All delegates should fill in the attached registration form and send payments directly to the Freshwater Biological Association at the address given below. The meeting will be limited to the first 70 delegates to register.
We look forward to seeing you in Newcastle.
Environment Agency, Tyneside House, Newcastle
December 16th, 2009
The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) north east region group will be holding its winter meeting on December 16th 2009 at the Environment Agency, Tyneside House, Newcastle, NE4 7AR.
The meeting will have a theme of The Future of Freshwater Monitoring. The current economic downturn means that we will be working with fewer resources, despite the need to increase the level of monitoring to meet evolving legislative and policy objectives. This event seeks to bring together delegates who have an interest in biomonitoring of streams, rivers, ponds, wetlands, lakes and canals, including academics, consultants, planners and specialist interest groups to discuss how they are working together to respond to such challenges.
The aim of the meeting is to look at
• the current ways we measure the health of freshwaters and explore the future of aquatic monitoring programmes to ensure our precious resource is protected and improved.
• how we can be innovative in providing decision makers with a robust evidence base in times of economic downturn.
The meeting will be divided into two sub themes
1. Freshwater Monitoring – Scientific Theory to Practice - The way in which science and research is influencing current and future aquatic monitoring programmes and the decision making process in the north east and how this is translated in practice.
2. Community Involvement - The implementation of freshwater monitoring programmes using members of the public. Can this help ease the squeeze in current funding and provide the robust evidence base that we require?
The meeting will be opened and the first session chaired by Frank De Planta, Monitoring Manager for the Environment Agency's Yorkshire and North East Region. Frank is a business manager responsible for the delivery of the Environment Agency's freshwater monitoring programme across the north east.
Dr Malcolm Newson will Chair the session on Community Involvement. As a former leader of academic research into sustainable river basin management at Newcastle University and from his current position as Director of the Tyne Rivers Trust, Malcolm will provide a perfect steer for this session and give a valuable insight into the Trusts experiences of community based monitoring
Dr Martyn Kelly of Bowburn Consultancy is in the unusual position of being involved in both academic research and as a practitioner directly involved in service delivery for Government Agencies. Martyn developed the Trophic Diatom Index, a technique used by Environment Agency to measure eutrophication in urban rivers, most notably for the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. Martyn has kindly agreed to speak about his experience of spanning the gap between academics and practitioners and how important this is if future objectives are to be met.
More broadly the meeting offers opportunities to: increase awareness of the range of freshwater ecology work being undertaken in the north east region, provide opportunities for discussion among a spectrum of practitioners, and act as an impetus for future collaborative work and knowledge exchange between different parties.
We would like to take this opportunity to invite submissions for oral (15-20 min) presentations from all interested parties. Full details of how to register for this event and submit proposals for presentations can be found below and at www.fba.org.uk. The deadline for registration forms is December 2nd, 2009.
Delegates wishing to give an oral presentation at the meeting should contact: andrew.goodman@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Any general enquiries should also be directed to this email address or via telephone on 0191 203 4282.
The cost of attending the meeting is: £20 (FBA members), £30 (non FBA members), £10 (student FBA members), £20 (student non-members). All delegates should fill in the attached registration form and send payments directly to the Freshwater Biological Association at the address given below. The meeting will be limited to the first 70 delegates to register.
We look forward to seeing you in Newcastle.