Dear members and Leonardo,

Thanks for the advice in this post. I want to apologise for my lax
response to your earlier request for me to join this symposium and I
thank you for the kind invitation.

At this stage I'm uncertain whether I'll be able to attend - I'm
looking to travel to Biskia (Basque country in northern Spain) in
early June and onwards from there so a trip to Venezuela in late May
would fit into that timetable ...

I've had a look at the VIII NOC program but cannot see your
symposium on the site - I hope this hasn't meant it has been
rejected/withdrawn. It sounds like a great session and I'm familiar
with Mark Bonta's work from my own research. I'll do my best to try
to get there - money and time are the main factors.

I'll be travelling over the next few weeks so cannot commit to my
attendance for a few weeks - at least before the 'early-bird'
registration deadline of 15 December.

Cheers and good luck,

Robert Gosford




--- In Ethnoornithology@..., "Leonardo Cabrera"
<lcabre@p...> wrote:
>
> Dear members of the list,
>
> I am organizing a symposium titled "Exploring bird conservation by
> indigenosu people: insights for bio-cultural conservation" and I
need
> at least 2-3 people to give a talk in the VIII Congress of
> Neotropical Ornithology to be held in Venezuela in may 2007.
Please
> read the following proposal I submitted to the conference
organizers
> and let me know if someone is interested. I AM STILL WAITING FOR
THE
> RESPONSE OF THE ORGANIZERS, BUT I NEED TO FILL THE LIST OF
POTENTIAL
> SPEAKERS AND A TITLE PRESENTATION.
>
> Exploring Bird Conservation by Indigenous People:
> Insights for Bio-cultural Conservation.
>
> A Symposium Proposal for the VIII Congreso de Ornitologia
> Neotropical, Venezuela 2007.
> Organized by Dr. Leonardo Cabrera Garcia.
> McGill University, Montreal, Canada .
>
> Birds are one of the most well studied animal groups in the world.
> But birds are also one of the most threatened vertebrates with
more
> than 1000 species on risk of extinction. Unfortunately, these
loses
> when occur, are often coupled with loses of traditional cultural
> practices that define human-ecosystem interactions in cultural
> landscapes. As efforts for bird conservation have centred on the
> identification and protection of global bird richest areas, a
> challenge for conservationists has emerged since conservation
through
> protection may not be compatible in these human dominated
ecosystems,
> principally indigenous territories (Toledo et al., 2001).
> Ethno-ecological and anthropological studies have unveiled a
social
> dimension of biodiversity conservation by documenting traditional
> resource management practices that support the material, cultural
and
> spiritual needs of local inhabitants while safeguarding
biodiversity.
> Mounting evidences indicate that these practices are sustained by
> traditional ecological knowledge systems that operate at diverse
> ecological and social scales and can be incorporated in ecosystem
co-
> management frameworks (Gadgil, et al., 1993; Berkes, 1999).
> Therefore, the idea of indigenous people's participation as
partners
> in conservation has gained support to benefit both indigenous life
> and biodiversity. Consequently, an incorporation and development
of
> this perspective for more proactive bird conservation initiatives
and
> actions are claimed as needed and presented in this symposium
through
> diverse study cases.
>
> In this symposium, I will invite 5 scholars to address the
importance
> of traditional knowledge (including ecological, cultural or
> spiritual) on birds (or on their habitats) hold by indigenous
people
> of different countries (e.g., Mexico, Central America and
Australia)
> as an instrument to establish common grounds for conservation
> planning in indigenous territories and develop viable and locally-
> based bio-cultural conservation plans. From the invited speakers'
> presentations, innovative elements for bird conservation will be
> discussed at the end of the session.
>
> The list of guest speakers who have confirmed their participation
in
> this symposium is presented as follows :
>
> 1. Dr. Mark Bonta. "Valorizing the relationships between birds
> and people: experiences and lessons from Honduras". Delta State
> University, Cleveland, USA.
> 2. M.Sc. Andrew Miller. "Birds of the pine-oak forest Sierra
> Madre Occidental Chihuahua, Mexico: ethnoecological warning
signs".
> University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
> 3. Dr. Leonardo Cabrera. "Integration of traditional knowledge
> from Nahuatl communities of Central Mexico for bird conservation".
> McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
>
> Thus, I need two more presenters to complete the requirements of 5
> established for the congress organizers. I have invited Mr. Robert
> Gosford but not sure if he has received my email.
>
> I hope you find of interest this symposium to participate and
> contribute with your expertise to this growing and pasionate field
of
> birds-people relationships.
>
> Please do not hesitate in contact me if you are interested in this
> symposium and or if you want TO POST your name and research title
and
> contribute with the efforts of this list to establish a network of
> people interested in this topic.
>
> Thank you and I will be looking for your reply,
>
> Dr. Leonardo Cabrera Garcia
> Department of Geography
> McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
> leonardo.cabrera@m...
>