Submitted by Rachel Aucott on Thu, 28/03/2019 - 12:39
"How do you think we can stay optimistic in our research when faced with so many bad news and events happening in recent years?" Inês Maria Simões Silva from Portugal asked Sir David Attenborough, he replied: "We must be optimistic - we don't have an option, we have to point out successes, and show that we are happier people with a healthy landscape around us.”
This week Zoology hosted the Student Conference for Conservation Science for the twentieth time. Conceived by Mark Avery, then head of research at RSPB, the series gives opportunities for young conservation researchers from around the world to present their work to other young conservationists. They also receive training in a range of new skills, and meet the large numbers of practitioners from the Cambridge conservation community and beyond. The SCCS is a joint venture between the University, the RSPB, the Tropical Biology Association and many other conservation NGOs and funders, and it serves as a flagship for the Cambridge Conservation Initiative.
Over the last 20 years 3200 delegates from 134 countries have taken part, with more than 440 receiving SCCS bursaries and the Arcadia-funded post-conference internship scheme. Demand is so high that the series has since been replicated in New York, Bengaluru, Brisbane, Beijing and Lake Balaton (Hungary), with around 1000 delegates each year now going through the SCCS programme.
The opening plenary was given by founder-organiser Rhys Green on the “The place of science in making conservation decisions” and it told the story of white-rumped vulture - a conservation success story in which the rapid decline of the vultures was halted by virtue of detailed conservation science. There were many other conservation stories told over the course of the conference as well as ways to inspire activism and community engagement from places as far apart as Estonia, Mongolia and Madagascar.
Special events to mark the twentieth conference included plenary talks from former SCCS-delegate Amy Hinsley, from the chair of the Paris climate talks Christiana Figueres, as well as the student-focused Q+A session with Sir David Attenborough.
This week’s event was the last run by Rhys Green, and will also see the retirement of long-time administrator Shireen Green. The delegates, volunteers, fellow organisers showed their huge appreciation of their efforts in the final session of the conference.