WP 34
Agenda Item: 12.6
Person Responsible: M Sparrow
XXXIII SCAR Delegates Meeting
Auckland, New Zealand, 1-3 rd September 2014
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WP 34
Title: Allocation of funds from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (Prix Biodiversité)
Authors: Mike Sparrow, Jerónimo López-Martinéz, Bryan Storey, Karin Lochte, Renuka Badhe
Introduction/ Background: In September 2014, SCAR was awarded the Prince Albert II of Monaco
Foundation's 2013 Prix Biodiversité (http://www.fpa2.com/actualite-425-annee-2013-trimestre-
3.html). The Prize was awarded in recognition of SCAR's contribution to science and its work to improve our understanding of the environment. The Prize came with a monetary award of 40,000
Euros.
In January SCAR National Delegates and Chief Officers were asked by email for ideas as to how the funds should be spent. These have been summarized in this paper.
Recommendations/Actions and Justification: The SCAR Delegates are requested to review, to suggest new ideas or, if they agree, to approve using the funds from the Prix Biodiversite (40,000
Euros or ~US$55,000) to award a Prince Albert II Fellowship (in addition to the normal
SCAR/COMNAP Fellowships) every year, while exploring mechanisms for continuing this scheme into the future. .
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Introduction
In September 2014, SCAR was awarded the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation's 2013 Prix Biodiversité
(http://www.fpa2.com/actualite-425-annee-2013-trimestre-3.html). The Prize was awarded in recognition of
SCAR's contribution to science and its work to improve our understanding of the environment. The Prize came with a monetary award of 40,000 Euros (~US$55,000).
In January SCAR National Delegates and Chief Officers were asked by email for ideas as to how the funds should be spent.
Suggested uses of the funds
Several suggestions were made by the SCAR COs and Delegates as to how the funds should be spent. The majority, in keeping with the title of the prize, suggested a focus on improving biodiversity knowledge in some manner either through focused workshops, travel bursaries or support for early career scientists. The suggestions received are summarized below (the groups or countries in brackets indicate where the suggestion came from without naming individuals):
Biodiversity Travel Bursary or Internships (suggested by several individuals and groups: SSG-LS,
SC-ATS, Russia, UK) :
1.
Create a biodiversity bursary to support travel to meetings, conferences, workshops, laboratory visits, or fieldwork directed at biodiversity research. The bursary should be directed at early career scientists in the first instance. Careful use and investment of the funds could see this fund last for quite some time. In the future this initiative could be continued, focusing on the same scientific topic or in different ones, according to the availability of funds.
2.
Create a 6 month or 1 year senior fellowship in some area of, e.g. biodiversity synthesis that is advertised and structured from the outset with the aim of production of one of more defined outputs or products. Or, in that vein, to provide a couple of specific opportunities to augment either the SCAR Fellowship or
Visiting Professor programmes, again done in a way that constrains the subjects to be applied for, outputs expected etc.
SCAR Prize for Biodiversity Research (AnT-ERA) :
To use the money or a certain proportion for 1-2 prices for outstanding biodiversity researchers. The quality of the researcher and work/output should be the only criterion: novelty, creativity, general (environmental) relevance.
Funding a biodiversity orientated workshop (LS, UK) :
1.
Fund a workshop, EG or AG tasked to investigate how to improve our biodiversity knowledge. Suggested
Terms of Reference:

Determine the gaps (spatial and temporal) in our knowledge. How can this improve/support AntEco and AnT-ERA.

Determine if there are areas requiring re-assessment following the CAML, e.g. Larson Ice Shelf,
CEAMARC area, Ross Sea. Do we need a CAML 2.

Determine how can we utilize the expertise and programmes of the Physical and Geosciences SSGs to help understand biodiversity and controlling parameters.

Determine how best to address the biodiversity questions/issue coming from the Horizon Scan.
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2.
It could be divided to fund one or more specific small group workshops with defined output targets (for instance, one to identify the 'top 10' most serious invasions risks, or to bring very specific small groups of people together with the explicit intention of drafting one or more defined papers from existing biodiversity datasets....); with appropriate ground rules and guidance, it could even be opened to a form of call for applications for support for such workshops.
Funding a specific project (AnT-ERA, Malaysia) :
1.
Fund a small project that supports a convenient online access of scientists (not database experts) to biodiversity data. This could be a user-friendly version of the on-line version of the SCAR-MarBIN (or
ANTABIF) biogeographic atlas. The project must be absolutely user- and not expert-driven. If someone wants to know where in the Antarctic one or more species exist it must be possible without prior education to get a result within 5 minutes. Accessibility to ALL relevant data bases (not only ANTABIF and without copying data from one database into another) must be guaranteed.
2.
Fund a GIS base data portal on Antarctic Biodiversity and also risk, analysis for Antarctic different
Antarctic bio-region.
Put funds into SCAR Reserve (France) :
Put these 40,000 Euros into the SCAR Reserve. In the case of unexpected difficulties or new programmes
SCAR annual budgets could be balanced by funds taken out from this prize money.
The SCAR EXCOM discussed the various options and recommends the following:
The funds from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (Prix Biodiversité) (40,000 Euros or about
US$55,000) should be used to award an additional Fellowship each year: A Prince Albert II of Monaco
Fellowship, with a focus on biodiversity, to be run under the current SCAR/COMNAP fellowship scheme.
This would minimize the additional administrative burden on the Secretariat whilst recognizing the important contribution of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
This initiative could be maintained up to the end of the available funds from this Prize, whilst exploring
(perhaps through the Development Council) how this can be continued into the future.
Delegates are requested to discuss, to add possible ideas or, if they agree, approve EXCOM’s recommendation.
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