Meetings Other Relevant Events
The 36th Scientific Conference of the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean (AMLC) will be hosted by the Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory, University of the West Indies, in Jamaica. The AMLC Scientific Conference is held every 2 years and is attended by international scientists, managers, professionals, and students whose interest is focused on marine resources and the related issues relevant to the greater Caribbean region. Activities include a complete science program, poster exhibits, social events and field trips. A unique feature of this year’s meeting will be two Panel Discussions that will focus on the secondary themes noted below and involve regional environmental agency managers as well as environmental consultants, scientists and representatives from the private sector. There will be simultaneous English-Spanish interpretation at this meeting.
This meeting seeks to serve as platform to initiate and facilitate the expansion of regional and interdisciplinary collaborations throughout the Caribbean. We welcome submissions relating to marine science in the Greater Caribbean region.
Contributions in the following topical areas are encouraged:
- Connectivity, including habitat linkages between coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass, larval distribution patterns, spawning aggregations, land-sea interactions, biological oceanography.
- Global and Regional Issues, including global warming, regional patterns of coral bleaching and disease, physical oceanography, remote sensing, GIS, coastal processes, natural disturbances, pollution, sedimentation.
- Resource Management, including MPAs, ecosystem approaches to coastal management, fisheries, aquaculture, conservation, monitoring and assessment, social economics, public awareness.
- Ecology, including ecology, behavior, reproduction, diseases, invasive organisms, food web dynamics, reef resilience, deep coral reefs, species inventories and range extensions, and habitat mapping.
A special attempt will be made to involve Caribbean environmental managers and upper-echelon decision makers in the conference to broaden the scope, future role, and impact of the AMLC in the region. In addition to the above topics, we especially encourage submissions addressing the following issues:
- The panacea of mitigation in coastal zone development – changing the paradigm of coastal zone management in the Caribbean
- Principles of interconnectivity – the true economic and social cost of coastal zone development in Caribbean countries
- The challenge of translating scientific knowledge into effective management practices
- Trans-boundary marine science as a vehicle for improving International partnerships
- Coastal Restoration – Caribbean challenges
Other topics will be considered subject to session time limitations.