Pacific Science Association

PSA NEWS and UPDATES

THE 21st PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS
The 21st Pacific Science Congress will be held 12-16 June, 2007 at the Okinawa Convention Center in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. The Congress will be hosted by the University of the Ryukyus and co-sponsored by the Science Council of Japan. The PSA Secretariat is currently soliciting input from PSA Task Forces and committees on session themes and speakers. The first circulars announcing the 2007 Congress will be sent in mid-2005. A link to the Congress website can be found at: http://www.psc21.net/ and on the PSA website at http://www.pacificscience.org/congress2007.html.

CALL FOR SESSIONS AND POSTERS: 21st PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS

The PSC Organizing Committee is now making an open call for additional symposia and sessions at the Congress in Okinawa. Individual scientists and scientific societies are encouraged to contact the Local Organizing Committee if they are interested in doing so.

CALL FOR SESSIONS AND POSTERS: IDSP

The International Dialogue on Science and Practice in Sustainable Development Conference aims to foster effective collaborations between scientists and practitioners to advance the practice of sustainable development, through knowledge sharing and promoting national, regional, and international actions and implementation. proposals for special (parallel) sessions and poster sessions. The IDSP is now calling for Sessions and Posters, and details about submission of proposals are available at www.sustdialogue.org, or click here for a PDF.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS ON HAWAII INVASIVE SPECIES RESEARCH

The Hawai'i Invasive Species Council is seeking proposals for applied invasive species research. The direct link to the request for proposals can be found by clicking here.

28TH ICSU GENERAL ASSEMBLY

PSA Executive Secretary Burke Burnett represented the Pacific Science Association at the International Council for Science (ICSU) 28 th General Assembly held in Shanghai and Suzhou, China from 17–22 October 2005. The General Assembly (GA) was graciously hosted by the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology (CAST). PSA President Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa (President of the Science Council of Japan) and PSA Executive Board members Dr. Congbin Fu (Vice President of the China Committee for ICSU, CAST) and Dr. Prof. Chang-Hung Chou (President, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan) also attended in the capacity of their respective institutions.

The General Assembly consisted of both plenary sessions and sessions for National Members and Scientific Union Members. The first day of the GA was held in conjunction with CAST in Shanghai. After opening remarks by Dr. Sun Honglie (ICSU-China), the first session topic was “Science and Human Well-Being”, chaired by Prof. Yiming Shao of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The keynote presentation by Dr. Hal Mooney conveyed the results of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, followed by brief presentations and a panel discussion by Prof. Marian Addy ( University of Ghana), Prof. Zengyi Chang ( Beijing University), Prof. Pierre Richie ( University of Ottawa), and Prof. Lan Xue ( Tsinghua University). The second session on “Science for Sustainable Development” was chaired by Prof. Peter Tyson, Vice President of ICSU. Prof. Congbin Fu gave the keynote lecture, followed by brief presentations and a panel discussion including Prof. Qiheng Hu (V.P., CAST), Prof. Yonglong Lu (Chinese Academy of Science), Dr. Jane Lubchenco (President, ICSU), and Dr. Graham Pearman (GP Consulting). All lectures and presentations were very well-received.

The second day of the GA involved no plenary sessions but convened forums for National Members and Scientific Union Members. These meetings were held to discuss the status of ICSU’s programmes and obtain input from members. Among the items discussed were a proposed dues increase for ICSU, a planned reduction in ICSU’s Grants Programme, and a wide variety of topics of concern to various Scientific Unions and Interdisciplinary Bodies. There were also several presentations providing reports on various ICSU initiatives such as “The Environment and its Relation to Sustainable Development”, “Science and the Policy Context”, and “The Universality of Science”.

The final three days of the GA involved plenary sessions. Dr. Jane Lubchenco presided over all the presentations and resulting discussions. The third day began with various briefings on the current status of ICSU, including the Secretary-General’s Report (Ana Maria Cetto), a presentation of the new ICSU Strategic Plan for 2006–2011 (Thomas Rosswall), a Union Member Forum Report (Michel Denis), and a National Member Forum Report (Hernan Chaimovich). Each presentation was followed with time for various attendees to comment and provide input. Presentations were also given on several ICSU initiatives: by Dr. Ian Allison on the new International Polar Year (2007–2008), a joint initiative of ICSU and World Meteorological Organization; by Dr. Gordon McBean on the ICSU initiative on “Natural and Human-Induced Hazards”; by Dr. Brian Walker on “Science and Technology for Sustainable Development”. Dr. Hal Mooney gave a second presentation on the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, focusing on the structure and processes behind the writing of the MEA reports.

The next day of the GA saw presentations on ISCU’s programme on “Challenges in Implementing the Universality of Science” (Dr. Peter Warren), a “Priority Area Assessment on Scientific Data and Information” (Dr. Roberta Balstad), “Capacity-Building in Science” (Dr. Ranjan Ramasamy), a report from the ICSU Policy Committee on Developing Countries (Dr. Marian Addy), and an ICSU Financial Report (Dr. Roger Elliott). Ample time for input and comments from the various members was solicited, and votes were taken to ratify modifications to various proposed elements in the ICSU strategy.

Elections were held to determine the new ICSU Executive Board. The new incoming officers are: Dr. Catherine Brechignac ( France) – President-Elect, Dr. Khosto Mokhele ( South Africa) – Vice President for Scientific Planning and Review, and Hernan Chaimovich ( Brazil) – Vice President for External Relations. Dr. Ana Maria Cetto ( Mexico) and Dr. Roger Elliott (UK) ran unopposed and will continue as Secretary-General and Treasurer, respectively.

The final day of the GA included reports on the new ICSU Regional Office for Africa (Dr. Gabriel Ogunmola) which opened in Pretoria, South Africa in 2005, the new ICSU Regional Office for Asia (Dr. Anupam Varma) which will open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2006, and the ICSU Ad Hoc Committee on Membership Issues (Dr. Lucie Lapointe). Dr. Goverdhan Mehta, incoming President of ICSU, gave an Address to the GA on the future of ICSU, which was very warmly received.

One important outcome of the GA was the formal approval of the new ICSU Strategic Plan (2006–2011), which provides a strong mandate and direction for the organization in their mission to provide a greater role for science in public policy decisions worldwide, and to strengthen international science for the benefit of society.

ICSU also announced several new initiatives and resolutions, including:

For more information on these initiatives and announcements, please visit http://www.icsu.org/3_mediacentre/GA.html. As for the GA as a whole, there was widespread agreement that ICSU and the Chinese hosts at CAST did a magnificent job at organizing the meeting and making participants feel welcome.

he ICSU GA meeting provided the opportunity for Kurokawa, Fu, Chou, and Burnett to discuss PSA business. In addition, there were numerous fruitful discussions to discuss potential collaborations and the upcoming Pacific Science Congress in 2007. These involved Dr. Montri Chulavatnatol, Vice-President of the National Research Council of Thailand and Secretary General of the 20 th Pacific Science Congress, other representatives from PSA Adhering organizations, including the Science Council of Japan, the Malaysian Academy of Sciences, the Singapore National Academy of Sciences, CAST, National Academies Forum (Australia), National Research Council of Thailand, as well as officials from ICSU, The Academy of Science for the Developing World (TWAS), and many others.

PSA BIODIVERSITY TASK FORCE UPDATE (OCTOBER 2005)

During the third quarter of 2005, the Biodiversity Task Force addressed regional bioinformatics issues through the development of the Pacific Biodiversity Information Forum (PBIF) that is focused on the development of a website that includes information and photographic images of animals, plants and various Pacific Islands.  In addition, PBIF completed a survey of regional taxonomic capacity. This will be published next year. PBIF is working to provide informatics support to the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation and with National Biodiversity Strategic Action Coordinators.  Finally PBIF is organizing a workshop, planned for February 2006 in New Zealand, to review the taxonomic status of major groups of plants and animals in the tropical Pacific region.  This will result in the publication of taxonomic checklists, literature databases and analysis of regional patterns of species richness and endemicity.

PSA WEBSITE UPDATE

The Pacific Science Association has continued to revise and improve the PSA website with the goal of becoming the primary information portal for information concerning science, technology, and sustainable development in and of the Asia and Pacific region. The second version of the PSA website was completed in August 2005. Unfortunately, technical issues delayed the implementation of the secure-server for individual membership (originally scheduled for mid-2005), but should be completed November 2005.

We hope to make the new PSA website as useful for researchers and other stakeholders as possible, and welcome your comments and suggestions. In particular, we invite submissions for “Upcoming Meetings and Conferences in the Asia-Pacific” ( http://www.pacificscience.org/meetings.html) which is the only site to combine information on any and all meetings either in, or concerning, science and sustainable development in the region. Please email any notifications to Burke Burnett at mailto:burnett@bishopmuseum.org.

NEW PSA-RELATED BOOK ON GLOBALIZATION

A new book titled The Challenges of Globalization: Cultures in Transition in the Pacific-Asia Region, produced by leaders of the PSA Task Force on Globalization and Human Dynamics, and growing directly out of a Task Force Session at the 10th Pacific Science Inter-Congress in Guam in 2001, is now available. The book is edited by Lan-Hung Nora Chiang, John Lidstone, and Rebecca Stephenson, and published by the University Press of America. The back cover describes the book:

The Challenges of Globalization defines globalization as "supra-national ideas and processes that cross national borders with impunity." Such "ideas and processes" may appear to possess a will of their own, fostering closer links between cultures, societies, and economies. But, do they? How do individuals, communities, and nation-states actually respond to the forces of globalization? This book explores globalization within the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and education. Although the products of globalization are far from new, globalization as a process in the Pacific-Asian region is both dynamic and problematic. Pacific-Asia globalization outcomes at present include: intensification of changes linked to the influences of capitalism; information technology and innovative technological systems; migration, transnationalism, and refugees; tourism for those with newly apparent disposable incomes; altered philosophical and religious perspectives, including the new fundamentalism; paradigm shifts within indigenous languages and cultures; lifestyles that embrace and/or disengage from all of the globalizing factors listed above; and others.

PSA EXTRAORDINARY EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING

Because a PSA Inter-Congress could not be held in 2005, PSA held an Extraordinary Executive Board Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam on 11-13 May.  The purpose of the PSA meeting, which was held in conjunction with the Science Council of Asia (SCA) Annual Conference, was to: (1) discuss and plan for the upcoming 21st PSA Congress to be held in Okinawa, Japan in June 2007; (2) seek the Board's input on revamped Scientific Task Forces, new and planned PSA projects, as well as a revised Strategic Plan for PSA; and (3) to provide an update on PSA activities since the Bangkok Congress.  Attending the meeting were Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa (PSA President), Dr. Nancy Lewis (PSA Secretary General and Treasurer), Dr. Chang-Hung Chou (Board Member), Sung-Chick Hong (Board Member), PSA Executive Secretary John Burke Burnett, and invited guests Dr. Keiichi Omoto (PSA Council Representative, Japan), Valentin Sergienko (PSA Council Representative, Russia), Oleg Shcheka (Russian Academy of Sciences – Far Eastern Branch), and Makoto Tsuchiya (University of the Ryukyus, and Lead Organizer of the 2007 Pacific Science Congress).

2007 PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS: STATUS OF PLANNING

In early January 2005, PSA Secretary General Dr. Nancy Lewis, PSA Executive Secretary Burke Burnett, and former PSA Executive Secretary Dr. Lu Eldredge met with Dr. Makoto Tsuchiya from University of the Ryukyus to discuss plans for the upcoming 2007 Pacific Science Congress to be held in Okinawa. Pursuant to the PSA Board Meeting in Hanoi in May 2005, PSA President Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa and Dr. Lewis attended a 2007 Pacific Science Congress planning meeting in Tokyo on February 25, 2005.

GEORGE B. ELYAKOV, 1929-2005

Academician Professor George B. Elyakov passed away on 2 May, 2005 in Moscow, Russia after a long illness. Dr. Elyakov was born on 13 September, 1929, in Kostroma, Russia . A corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Science since 1970 and an active member since 1987, he was an expert in organic chemistry of natural compounds. He became Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1991, and was also Chairman of the RAS’s Far Eastern Branch in Vladivostok and Director of the Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry. Dr. Elyakov was an active member of the Pacific Science Association for many years, and a Board Member of PSA since 1999. The PSA extends our sympathies to his family and colleagues.

SOUTH ASIAN TSUNAMI TRAGEDY

The Pacific Science Association extends our sincere and deepest condolences to all those in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere who suffered in the tsunami tragedy of 26 December 2004.

We must all strive to work more diligently to understand the geological, oceanographic and ecological factors behind such catastrophic events. PSA intends to catalyze interest among local and international scientists to examine these factors, in the hope that such an understanding may help mitigate the human impact of such events in the future.

PSA calls attention to the statement from ICSU regarding the South Asian tsunami tragedy. Please click here for their statement.

LIVING ARCHIPELAGOS

The Living Archipelagos Program has launched a new website. The site will include detailed profiles on specific sites identified in two workshops held in Honolulu and Apia , Samoa in 2004.

The Living Archipelago Program is organized by the Bishop Museum, Pacific Science Association, and Indo-Pacific Conservation Alliance (IPCA) in cooperation with the Marine Programs Division of Conservation International (CI), the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), and the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The Living Archipelago Program is a new initiative to identify a small number of islands and coral reef ecosystems warranting some level of action and to move quickly forward to secure their future. The geographic areas covered by this program are the islands/atolls of Micronesia , Polynesia , and Fiji , collectively one of CI’s Hotspots.

NEW PABITRA PUBLICATION

The PABITRA manual, “Biodiversity Assessment In Tropical Island Ecosystems”, part of their Interactive Ecology and Management Initiative, has been published and is now available for download on the PABITRA website. PABITRA is a collaborative program involving a network of over 70 conservation scientists and professionals for investigating the function of biodiversity and the health of ecosystems in the tropical Pacific Islands . It is constituted as part of the Pacific Science Association’s Division for Ecosystem Conservation in the PSA Task Force on Biodiversity. Currently, there are over 70 conservation professionals on the mailing list. PABITRA contributes to DIVERSITAS, the global program of biodiversity science, coordinated by IUBS (International Union of Biological Sciences) and the regional network of DIVERSITAS in Western Pacific and Asia , which is coordinated by the Center for Ecological Research at Kyoto University.

PSA CO-SPONSORING MEETING ON 'ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES FOR THE PACIFIC BASIN' IN SEPTEMBER 2005

The Pacific Science Association will be one of the sponsors of a meeting convened by the Pacific Basin Consortium for Environment and Health Services, to be held September 7 and 8, 2005 at the East-West Center in Honolulu , Hawaii . Training topics are still under discussion but will likely include: Hazardous Wastes (management models/approaches, technical advances in remediation technology, and global transport of hazardous chemicals); Human and Ecological Health Effects of Environmental Contaminants (observable health effects among populations exposed to hazardous wastes, pollution effects on coral reefs and ocean health, mercury levels in fish); and Global Climate Change (political aspects, technical uncertainties, potential costs, and technical solutions). Other topics such as new technologies for measuring or anticipating environmental health effects, children’s environmental health, groundwater arsenic and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in ground and surface waters are also being considered as additional topics of examination. For more details on the meeting visit the PBCEHS website at http://pbc.eastwestcenter.org/2005conference.html , or contact: pbc@eastwestcenter.org for more information.

PACIFIC BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION FORUM UPDATE

The Pacific Biodiversity Forum (PBIF), established under the auspices of the PSA to provide a forum for sharing biodiversity information in the Asia-Pacific region, was formally accepted as an Associate Participant Organization to the Global Biodiversity Information Forum in September 2004. PBIF also held a leadership meeting from 8-9 October, 2004 in Wellington , New Zealand , in conjunction with the Global Taxonomy Initiative (GTI) meeting. This was the fourth in a series of workshops, and was convened in order to gain approval for formulation of the node under the framework and procedures developed by the interim organizing committee at the previous PBIF meeting in Oaxaca .

Among the steps taken at the meeting were to establish an interim organizing committee to guide PBIF during the formal formulation process. The interim organizing committee will eventually be replaced by an elected organizing committee as PBIF becomes more formalized. A gateway node was established to serve at the primary organizational and public interface for PBIF and to coordinate collaborations with partners from the region. Representatives at the Wellington workshop expressed strong interest in joining PBIF, and while membership is open to legitimate regional scientific organizations, members wishing to function as nodes must be able to support their activities through internal or external funding sources.

The meeting also was geared to identify specific taxonomic and other projects that PBIF might facilitate. Representatives offered a list of potential projects and themes for consideration. The main themes that were identified as priorities are taxonomic and technical capacity-building, education and outreach, identification of knowledge gaps and development of projects to fill them, and forging links between Western science and traditional knowledge. Results of the workshop discussions were to recommend two specific projects to the GTI: “Inventory, Evaluation and Monitoring of Agricultural Diversity in the East and Southeast Asian Region: Regional Capacity and Institution-Building Network”, and “Building National and Regional Taxonomic and Biodiversity Informatics Capacity for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in the Pacific Islands ”. At the request of the GTI, all projects identified at the PBIF meeting were submitted to the GTI for consideration.

The date and venue for the next PBIF meeting has yet to be set, but a target date of summer 2005 is being considered. For more information about PBIF please visit the website or contact Mark Fornwall at Mark_Fornwall@usgs.gov.

IFS RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM FOR LDC SCIENTISTS

The International Foundation for Science, based in Stockholm, Sweden, has a grants program for projects from developing country scientists who conduct research on the sustainable management of biological resources. An IFS Research Grant has a maximum value of USD 12,000. IFS is specifically targeting scientists in countries with developing science and technology infrastructures. Focus is set on the Least Developed Countries (LDC), Low Income Countries (LIC) and Lower Middle Income Countries (LMIC). Grants are awarded to an individual researcher, for a specific research project, presented by the Applicant in the Application form. The IFS Research Grant is intended for the purchase of the basic tools needed to conduct the proposed research project - equipment, expendable supplies, and literature - and to arrange fieldwork activities related to the proposed project. The grant cannot be used to pay for the aspiring Grantee's own salary or for honoraria, or to cover tuition fees or living expenses. It is expected that the IFS Grantees already receive a salary and are employed by or otherwise attached to a developing country research institution. The timeframe of a research project should normally be 1-3 years. Project proposals are welcome at the IFS Secretariat throughout the year. However, there are two administrative deadlines per year: June 30th and December 31st. Application forms and more information can be found on the IFS website.

NEW EXECUTIVE SECRETARY FOR PSA: JOHN BURKE BURNETT

In March 2004, John Burke Burnett took over the running of the Pacific Science Association. Burke, as he likes to be called, has a focus on the interface between conservation policy, biological science, and traditional communities. He has an academic background in policy, economics and anthropology, and has worked closely with scientists, NGOs, corporate and governmental organizations, and local communities in the Asia-Pacific for the last 15 years. Burke's field experience is primarily in East Asia and the Pacific with particular emphasis in eastern Indonesia and New Guinea. He co-founded the Indo-Pacific Conservation Alliance (IPCA), and will remain its Executive Director. From 1995-98 he was Special Projects Coordinator [and] Japan Coordinator at Conservation International's Asia-Pacific Program. He has strong conversational and reading knowledge of Indonesian/Malaysian and Japanese languages. Degrees: M.A., (International Economics), Johns Hopkins University - School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS), 1991. B.S., Southern Methodist University, 1987.

The former Executive Secretary, L.G. Eldredge, is pursuing his interests in marine introduced species and Pacific regional information at the Bishop Museum.

NEW PSA WEBSITE

In August 2004, the Pacific Science Association launched a new and revised website (http://www.pacificscience.org/). The new site is a major improvement over the previous version, and even more features will be added in the coming months. Among the enhanced features of the website:

We hope the new PSA website will be useful for researchers involved in science of the Pacific, and welcome your comments and suggestions.

SYMPOSIUM ON FRENCH RESEARCH IN THE PACIFIC

Pacific Science Association Secretary General Nancy Lewis was invited to represent the PSA at the Symposium on French Research in the Pacific (Assises de la Recherche Française dans Le Pacifique) which was held at the Tjibaou Cultural Center in Noumea , New Caledonia on August 24-27, 2004 . The meeting was called by President Jacques Chirac. The Chair of the Scientific Committee was Fabrice Colin, Director of Institut de Rescherche pour le Développement, Noumea.  Members of the Committee were from both French Polynesia and New Caledonia, including representatives of the l'Université de la Polynésie Français and Université de la Nouvelle Calédonie.

The symposium had five thematic areas, all of which are relevant for the Pacific Science Association: 1. Marine Ecosystems: Biodiversity and resource development; 2. Terrestrial Ecosystems: Biodiversity and resource development; 3. Natural Hazards and Climate Variability: regional impacts and prevention; 4. Culture, Identity, Heritage, Land and Development; and 5. Health and Environment. The Symposium, which consisted of plenary and thematic sessions and poster displays, gave a comprehensive overview of French research in the Pacific. Discussion in each of the thematic sessions led to a series of recommendations for future research and action agendas in the region. 

A report of the Sympoisum including recommendations and a list of participants will be available at the Symposium website: www.assises-recherche-pacificque.org. The website is intended to become a forum for further communication and the discussion of collaborative research activities.  It will provide a mechanism for greater communication between Anglophone and Francophone researchers in the region and in doing so may be valuable for furthering PSA research and initiatives.

10th INTERNATIONAL CORAL REEF SYMPOSIUM

PSA was a collaborating organization to the 10th International Coral Reef Symposium held from 28 June to 2 July 2004 in Okinawa, Japan . The topic of the Symposium was “Stability and Degradation of Coral Reef Ecosystems”. The meeting was hosted by The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the 10th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS), The Japanese Coral Reef Society (JCRS) International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS), and supported by The Okinawa General Bureau, Japanese Ministry of the Environment, Fisheries Agency (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Okinawa Prefecture, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.

The official declaration of the 10th ICRS meeting noted that coral reefs and associated ecosystems are now under serious threat of collapse because of over-fishing; coastal development; terrestrial run-off; increasing sea surface temperatures and decreasing carbonate levels (ocean acidification), and sea-level rise caused by increasing anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere, which all act synergistically to stress coral reefs, leading to severe bleaching and extensive coral mortality. The participants made a strong declaration that additional destruction of coral reefs must be avoided, calling for stronger national and international-level efforts, and for enhanced scientific research and rigorous monitoring, management-tool development, and appropriate measures for conservation and sustainable use of coral reefs. A twin strategy must be taken over the longer term to reduce human induced climate change by reducing greenhouse gases, but at the same time a reduction in CO2 must be matched by action to reduce immediate threats of declining water quality because of land-use changes and pollution, and mass exploitation of fish biomass. To achieve these goals, the participants recommend four key strategies: 1) achieve sustainable fishery on coral reefs, 2) increase effective marine protected areas on coral reefs, 3) ameliorate land-use change impacts, and 4) develop technology for coral reef restoration. The 10th ICRS website (http://www.plando.co.jp/icrs2004/) has a full list of participants, abstracts, and poster presentations.

The PSA’s association with the 10th ICRS is part of our mission to promote science within the region and also reflects PSA’s long history of involvement in coral reef studies.