Prairie conservation conference attracts international interest

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

A conservation convention with a global flair is coming once again to Saskatchewan.

The eighth annual Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference (PCESC) and Workshop will be held at the Delta Hotel in Regina from March 1 to 3, 2007.

The seminar is held every three years, rotating amongst Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Karyn Scalise, Manager of the Prairie Conservation Action Plan, says conference organizers have put together a terrific agenda that focuses on successfully combining ecological and economic interests.

“The theme of our conference this year is ‘Homes on the Range: Conservation in Working Prairie Landscapes.’ We live and earn a living on the prairies alongside thousands of plant and animal species, including some that are at risk. This conference looks at ways that relationship can work positively for all of us,” Scalise said.

“For example, most of the species at risk in Saskatchewan are found in the grasslands. Most of those lands are managed for livestock production, and there’s a lot of common ground between the needs of species at risk and what livestock producers provide through their management practices.”

This year’s PCESC has been organized around six main themes: Growing People and Communities; Ecological Services; Climate Change; Endangered Species and Spaces; Invasive Species and Diseases; and Water Management. These themes will be the focus of concurrent workshops running on Friday and Saturday afternoon, set up by keynote plenary addresses on both mornings.

It is common for the conference to attract considerable international attention, and Scalise says this year’s session is no different. “We have delegates registered all the way from West Africa, we have a couple of people from the University of Sweden, and some people from Nairobi, Kenya,” she noted.

But not all of the guests from far-off places will be in the audience. “We are also featuring a variety of reputable international speakers, who will be presenting side by side with local experts from the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina,” Scalise said.

One speaker of particular interest will be L. Hunter Lovins, the president and founder of Natural Capitalism, Inc. in Colorado. According to Scalise, Lovins received the Time Magazine “Hero of the Planet” Award in 2000, primarily for her work taking big corporations and “making them green.” Her presentation will be on “The Integrated Bottom Line.”

Scalise expects attendance for the conference to top 400 people. “When it started, the seminar was largely a forum for people who were either academics or directly involved in conservation groups,” she observed.

“It’s turned a corner in the past few years, and there’s been a lot more interest from actual land managers and ranchers who operate on the native prairie. We have producers who are speaking at some of our workshops, and we expect to attract many more as delegates.”

Registration for the PCESC is $225 per person, including two lunches, a banquet and an evening mixer on Thursday night at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. Although registration will be accepted at the door, interested delegates are asked to register in advance, if possible. This can be done on the conference website at www.pcesc.ca, or by calling (306) 569-8799.

More details on the seminar can also be found on the website.

For more information, contact:
Karyn Scalise, Manager
Prairie Conservation Action Plan
Phone : (306) 352-0472
Website : www.pcap-sk.org
Conference Website: www.pcesc.ca