Marbena E-conference
“The SOUTHERN AND EASTERN Mediterranean SEA and THE Black Sea: New
challenges for Marine Biodiversity Research and Monitoring”
Dear all,
It's our pleasure to announce the opening of the 7th MARBENA electronic conference
entitled »The Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea: New
Challenges for Marine Biodiversity Research and Monitoring«
Klaus Tőpfer, UNEP Executive director, referred to the Mediterranean as a »regionlaboratory«: here we find rich and less rich countries, ancient traditions and modern
technologies, different cultures and diverse perceptions, political tensions and an
uneven course of economic growth and social development, not to mention the
environmental challenges.
Among the most important environmental challenges for Mediterranean as well as
Black Sea countries is how to manage valuable marine biodiversity and at the same
time achieve the best economic development.
Marine biodiversity research and monitoring issues will be addressed during our econference, keeping in mind a variety of cultures and languages, levels of knowledge
and priority issues in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea
regions.
During the three sessions - one Mediterranean, one Black Sea and one joint session
– we'll discuss:
some research issues like the role of top predators, climate change and biological
invasions for marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions,
neglected microbiota and deep sea biodiversity, including whether we need a
revision of our biodiversity agenda,
monitoring of biodiversity, impact of human activities, biodiversity indicators and
conservation
regional and international cooperation.
Last but not least: open communication and attentiveness for ideas of
others/different is the foundation of productive dialog. It is in this spirit that
conference organisers decided to enable discussions also in the Arabic, Russian and
French languages, dominant in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, with a
hope that this will facilitate mutual enrichment. Every day one new topic will be
introduced but discussion will continue on the new and previous themes each day
and in the last day of a session we will have all five topics opened.
The time table and the list of chairs and co-chairs can be found at
http://www.vliz.be/marbena/Seventhconference.html
All the French and English messages should be posted via the forum on the
web site (http://www.vliz.be/marbena/index.htm). You have to be a registered
user to be able to read and to post messages. Everyone can register via the
web site (go to register in the menu). The forum administrator will inform
you by email when your account has been created.
The French messages will be summarised into English by our colleagues at
Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ). This summary will be included on top of
the message.
Arabic and Russian messages must be sent by email. Arabic to Izdihar Ammar
(izdi5@scs-net.org) from (Tishreen University, Syria), Russian to our Bulgarian
colleagues (cesum-bs@io-bas.bg).
Please do not forget to also include a title and your full contact details. The Arab and
Russian messages will be translated or
summarised into English and subsequently posted on the forum. It is
technically too difficult to post Arab or Russian messages on the forum.
The daily introductions and summaries will be provided in English, French, Arab (for
sessions one and two) and Russian (for sessions two and three). These texts will be
sent by email to all those that have registered to the e-conference.
This e-conference precedes MARBENA workshop in Piran, Slovenia
(23 – 27 October 2004); the results of the e-conference will be presented there.
We wish you a productive and vivid discussion,
Alenka Malej, Paolo Magni & Snejana Moncheva
Timetable: 06 -24 September 2004
Organising Institutes of the e-conference:
IMC – International Marine Centre, Loc. Sa Mardini, 09072 Torregrande-Oristano,
Italy
Marine Biology Station Piran, NIB, Fornace 41, 6330 Piran, Slovenia
Institute of Oceanology BAS, P.O. Box 152, Varna 9000, Bulgaria
Conference Chairs:
Dr. Paolo MAGNI, IMC – International Marine Centre, Loc. Sa Mardini, 09072
Torregrande-Oristano, Italy (Tel.: +39-0783-22027/22032; Fax: +39-0783-22002;
Email: p.magni@imc-it.org)
Dr. Alenka MALEJ, Marine Biology Station Piran, NIB, Fornace 41, 6330 Piran,
Slovenia (Tel.: +386-5-671-2903; +386 – 671-2902; Email: malej@mbss.org)
Dr. Snejana MONCHEVA, Institute of Oceanology BAS, P.O. Box 152, Varna 9000,
Bulgaria (Tel.:+ 359 52 370485; Fax: +359 52 370485; Email:
snejm@mail.varna.techno-link.com)
Dr. Izdihar AMMAR, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria P.O.Box, 2242 SYRIA (tel.
+963-41-428690 (office)/428658 (operator); fax +963-41-428780; Email: izdi5@scsnet.org; tu-himr@scs-net.org)
Dr. Lovrenc LIPEJ, Marine Biology Station Piran, NIB, Fornace 41, 6330 Piran,
Slovenia (Tel.: +386-5-671-2917; +386-5-671-2902; Email: lipej@mbss.org)
Conference Co-Chairs:
Dr. Christos ARVANITIDIS, Department of Environmental Technology and
Management, Institute of Marine Biology of Crete, Hellenic Center for Marine
Research, Former American Base of Gournes, 71003, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Tel:
+30-2810 337748, Email: arvanitidis@imbc.gr)
Dr. Ferdinando Boero, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e
Ambientali, Università di Lecce, 73100 Lecce, Italy (Tel.:+ 39 08 32 29 86 19; Fax:
+39 08 32 29 87 02; Email: boero@unile.it)
Dr. Alessandro DE MADDALENA, Mediterranean Shark Research Group, Via L.
Ariosto 4, Milano, Italia, Tel.: +39-02-480-21454, Email: a-demaddalena@tiscali.it)
Dr. Andreas DEMETROPOULOS, Cyprus Wildlife Society, P.O. Box 24281, Nicosia
1703, Cyprus, Tel./Fax: +357-22-354-089, Email: andrecws@logos.cy.net)
Dr. Jakov DULCIC, Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Setaliste M. Mestrovica
63, P.O.B. 500, 21000 Split, Croatia, (Tel.: +385-21-358588, Email: dulcic@izor.hr)
Dr. Serena FONDA-UMANI, Laboratorio di Biologia Marina, Università degli studi di
Trieste, via A.Piccard, 54, Trieste 34010 Italy, Tel; + 39 040558.2007 Fax: + 39
040558.2011, Email: labbioma@univ.trieste.it)
Dr. Samir Grimes, Laboratoire des Ecosystèmes Benthiques, Institut des Sciences
de la Mer et de l’Aménagement du Littoral, ISMAL, Plage Ouest, Sidi Fredj, Alger
16000, Algèrie (Tel.:+ 212 71 14 05 35, Fax: +213 21 64 19 22; Email:
grimessamir@yahoo.fr; Grimes.S@caramail.com)
Dr. Marian GOMOIU, National Institute of Marine Geology and Ecology
GEOECOMAR304, Mamaia Blvd. RO-8700, Constanta, Romania, Tel/Fax: + 40
241 690 366; E-mail: mtg@cier.ro ; mtg@datanet.ro)
Dr. Ahmet KIDEYS, Institute of Marine Sciences, Middle East Technical University,
Erdemli, 33731, Icel, Turkey (Tel.:+90-324 5212406, E-mail:
kideys@ims.metu.edu.tr)
Dr. Lyudmila Kamburska, Institute of Oceanology BAS, P.O. Box 152, Varna 9000,
Bulgaria (Tel.:+ 359 52 370485; Fax: +359 52 370485; Email:
kamburska@mail.varna.techno-link.com
Dr. Temel OGUZ, Institute of Marine Sciences, Middle East Technical University,
P.O. Box. 28, Erdemli, 33731, Icel, Turkey, Turkey, Tel: +903245212150, Fax: +90
324 521 2327, E-mail: oguz@ims.metu.edu.tr)
Dr. Chedly RAIS, Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas, Boulevard
de l’Environment – BP 337, 1080 Tunis, Tunisie, Tel.: +216 71 78 30 34, Email:
rais.c@planet.tn)
Dr. Andreja RAMSAK, National Institute of Biology, Vecna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana,
Slovenia, Tel.: +386-1-423-3388, Email: andreja.ramsak@nib.si )
Dr. Tamara SHIGANOVA, P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, RAS, 117997,
Nakhimovsky prosp., 36, Moscow, Russia, Tel: +7-095-129 23 27, Fax: +7-095-12459-83, Email: Tamara Shiganova shiganov@sio.rssi.ru or
shiganova_tamara@list.ru)
Dr. Valentina Todorova, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; Institute of Oceanology;
Marine Biology and Ecology
SESSION 1: Eastern and Southern
Mediterranean
06 - 10 September 2004
Topic 1:. The role of top predators (incl.
gelatinous organisms) and large nekton
(incl. whales & dolphins, seals, sharks,
turtles) in biodiversity
Introduction by Ahmet KIDEYS & Alessandro
DE MADDALENA
Topic 2: Monitoring studies on marine
biodiversity in the Mediterranean, with
special reference to Eastern and Southern
countries
Introduction by Chedly RAIS
Topic 3: Historical data sets and grey
literature: the value of ‘real’ data and the
need for quality control
Introduction by Samir GRIMES, Izdihar
AMMAR & Paolo MAGNI
Topic 4: New techniques, tools and
approaches for the study of marine
biodiversity on a regional (Mediterranean)
scale
Introduction by Lovrenc LIPEJ & Andreja
RAMSAK
Topic 5: Do we need a revision of our
biodiversity research agenda?
Introduction by Ferdinando BOERO
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SESSION 2: Joint session on Eastern and
Southern Mediterranean, and Black Sea
13 - 17 September 2004
Topic 1: Endangered biodiversity and
management of marine protected areas,
wetlands, lagoons, estuaries and
seagrass meadows
Introduction by Samir GRIMES, Izdihar
AMMAR, Marian GOMOIU & Paolo Magni
Topic 2: Biodiversity conservation, impact of
human activities, environmental policy and
public awareness
Introduction by Andreas DemetropOulos
Topic 3: Climate change and exotic/invasive
species
Introduction by Jakov DULCIC & Tamara
SHIGANOVA
Topic 4: Environmental variability and
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biodiversity predictability: data collection and
ocean models– what to do?
Introduction by Izdihar AMMAR, Samir
GRIMES, Temel OGUZ & Paolo MAGNI
Topic 5: Regional and international
cooperation and comparative situations in
the Mediterranean and Black Seas (CIESM,
Regional Seas Programmes: MAP, Black
Sea Programme, IOI, MAMA network etc.)
Introduction by Izdihar AMMAR, Samir
GRIMES, Alenka MALEJ, Paolo MAGNI &
Snejana MONCHEVA
SESSION 3: Black Sea
20 - 24 September 2004
Topic 1: From taxonomy to patterns and
processes – the problem of “classical
taxonomist guild extinction” and the need
to develop advance biodiversity research
in the Black Sea.
Introduction by Snejana MONCHEVA
Topic 2: Microbiota, deep sea biodiversity
and unexploited habitats – the neglected
biodiversity
Introduction by Serena FONDA-UMANI
Topic 3: In search of pressure-stateresponse biodiversity indicators: extending
science to policy
Introduction by Christos ARVANITIDIS,
Valentina TODOROVA & Lyudmila
KAMBURSKA
Comments & discussions on summaries
of all sessions, general discussion, and
synthesis
Comments & discussions on summaries
of all sessions, general discussion, and
synthesis
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