The ATBC2012 meeting's theme is "Ecology, Evolution and Sustainable use of Tropical Biodiversity". This meeting will highlight the importance of evolutionary information to ecological research and will stimulate discussion on ecological questions from an evolutionary standpoint as well as potential applications of individual studies for the sustainable use of Tropical biodiversity. Symposia will cover a large range of topics, providing a broad perspective of the interface between ecology and evolution, and introducing the audience to the large realm of research opportunities to be explored. The different topics of interest are :

• Evolution & Ecology of Neotropical Ecosystems
• Community Ecology & Function
• Species Interactions
• Conservation and Sustainable Development
• Capacity Building

The list of accepted symposia :

The British Ecological Society Tropical Ecology Group (BESTEG) promotes and facilitates communication and interaction between tropical ecology researchers. Thus the group is proud to announce the 6th British Ecological Society Tropical Ecology Group Early Career Researcher Meeting (ECRM) on 28th – 30th March 2012, at the Silwood Park campus of Imperial College London [Announcement pdf]. This is an exciting meeting for early-career post-graduate students, post-docs and academics who work in diverse areas of tropical ecology. The conference is two days, preceded by a one-day workshop. There will be guest speakers, oral and poster presentations by early-career researchers, workshops and a photography competition. Booking starts 1st January 2012.  For further details, please read below and see the BESTEG events page.

In a recent study published on line, Kim McConkey et al. (2011) reviewed the current knowledge of the effects of habitat fragmentation, hunting and over-harvesting, biological invasions and climate change on seed dispersal to identify research gaps and to show how this information can be used to improve conservation management. While global pollinator declines have been acknowledged as a major concern, the growing seed dispersal crisis across the world is less recognized and understood. Complex synergistic and additive interactions between these drivers are likely to exacerbate these impacts, but such interactive effects have rarely been investigated. Dr. Soumya Prasad, one of the co-author, has been interviewed by BBC News. (Photo: ATBC Members Kim McConkey, Soumya Prasad, & Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz at FSD2010, Montpellier, June 2010. © Soumya Prasad)

• Plants at risk from seed dispersal threats by Mark Kinver Environment reporter, BBC News
• Islands in land- and seascape: The Challenges of Fragmentation. Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology (gtö)
• 6th International Symposium-Workshop on Frugivores and Seed Dispersal (1985-2015) 

Talk to an economist about building roads in tropical countries, and you’ll typically hear comments such as “Roads are a cost-effective way to promote economic growth.” But speak to an ecologist and you’ll hear something very different.  The respected Brazilian scientist Eneas Salati once said, “The best thing you could do for the Amazon is to bomb all the roads.”  Eminent ecologist Thomas Lovejoy voiced similar sentiments: “Roads,” he said, “are the seeds of tropical destruction.” Why do ecologists take such a dim view of roads?  It turns out they have some very good reasons.  In far too many instances, roads are rainforest killers. In a recently published article in Yale Environment 360, William Laurance takes a hard look at the tidal wave of road expansion occurring throughout the tropics today, and explains why it is the greatest single threat to tropical forests and their biodiversity. (Written by William Laurance) (Photo : Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) killed on a paved road in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. © Pierre-Michel Forget)

• As Roads Spread in Rainforests, The Environmental Toll Grows by William Laurance