Biodiversity Research and Conservation Center Community Trust (BRCC),
Russian Raptor Research and Conservation Network (RRRCN),
Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK),
Institute of Zoology Republic of Kazakhstan,
Bird Conservation Union of Kazakhstan,
MME/Birdlife Hungary

with the support of

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), Trust for Mutual Understanding (TMU), The Altai Project, European Union’s LIFE Nature Fund LIFE (LIFE21-NAT-HU-LIFE SakerRoads)

invite your participation in the

Eagles of the Palearctic: Study and Conservation: Third International Scientific and Practical Conference

September 25–28, 2023
Almaty, Kazakhstan

All Eurasian eagle species are relatively rare, and, consequently, their conservation requires joint efforts by the countries where the birds breed, migrate, and overwinter. Conservation planning requires examination of species population status and existing threats.

The purpose of the conference is to discuss the current situation, negative factors, and methods of studying and conserving eagles, as well as to propose a strategy for the conservation of the most vulnerable species.

The first and second “Eagles of the Palearctic: Study and Conservation” conferences were held in 2013 and 2018 in Russia, the first – in the Republic of Tatarstan, the second – in Altai.

Special attention was paid to the most vulnerable species – Steppe Eagle. Thanks to the international cooperation initiated at the first conference, the Steppe Eagle’s status on the IUCN Red List was upgraded to “endangered,” and a Russian strategy for the conservation of this species was also created. A working group formed at the second conference proposed to create a Global Plan of Action for the Conservation of the Steppe Eagle as part of the Memorandum of Understanding on Raptors under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

The focus of the 2023 conference is the development of practical actions to balance out negative factors affecting predators in steppe and desert regions, including bird mortality at power grid facilities, poisoning, inadequate food supply in both nesting areas and on migration routes.

The conference is open to suggestions for other relevant topics for thematic sessions, round tables, and satellite events; please submit proposals by March 1, 2023, when registering for participation (see below).

Key Species

Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Eastern Imperial Eagle (A. heliaca), Steppe Eagle (A. nipalensis), Tawny Eagle (A. rapax), Bonelli’s Eagle (A. fasciata), Lesser and Greater Spotted Eagles (A. clanga, A. pomarina), Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus), Mountain Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus nipalensis), White-Tailed Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), Steller's Sea Eagle (H. pelagicus), Pallas's Fish Eagle (H. leucoryphus), Short-Toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus), Osprey (Pandion haliaetus).

Satellite events can potentially expand this list to include all representatives of the orders of diurnal raptors and owls.

Key Topics

• Eagle populations – status and trends
• Threats – hunting (by people), poisoning, electric shock, and collision
• Conservation – approaches and methods, international cooperation
• Eagle study methods
• Breeding biology, ecology
• Movements – habitat usage, migration studies including ringing and trackers
• Genetics, evolution, phylogeny, and eagles phylogeography, taxonomy
• Climate change – potential influence and impact
• Captive breeding and sustainable use
• Eagles as environmental indicators

The conference will include a general plenary and several thematic sessions with reports on the study and conservation of eagles and sea eagles in Eurasia, a poster session, seminars, and round tables on topical issues of study and species conservation, including “Raptors and Power Lines”, “Raptors and Wind Energy”, and “Using telemetry to study the raptor migration”. The conference will produce a resolution and recommendations for the implementation of further programs for eagle research and conservation.

Field trips will be offered in the vicinity of Almaty on the last day of the conference. Field trips to other ornithologically-interesting locations in southern Kazakhstan may be organized upon request.

We invite everyone with relevant work to participate in the conference with reports (plenary – up to 20 minutes, sectional – up to 15 minutes) and/or poster presentations, and to propose topics for discussion at round tables. Remote participation with publication is also possible.

Conference Location

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Conference Format

In person and virtual – by agreement with the organizing committee for individual speakers, reports will be broadcast online

Working Languages

Kazakh, Russian, English (simultaneous translation will be provided)

Important Dates

March 1, 2023 – Deadline to propose round tables and workshops

June 1, 2023 – Registration deadline for participants needing visa support

August 1, 2023 – Registration deadline for participants without visa support

August 1, 2023 – Deadline for abstracts submission

August 1, 2023 – Registration fee payment deadline

February 1, 2024 – Deadline for submitting articles for publication

Registration

Please register online. You may also submit the registration form and abstracts by email to raptors_palearctic@altaiproject.org. Abstracts can be submitted after registration via the abstract form or to the conference email address above.

Abstracts and Applications for Round Tables

Abstracts will be published for all participants in three working languages by the conference start date. Abstracts of reports or poster presentations should correspond to listed conference topics (see above), and should be submitted in doc, docx, rtf, or pdf formats in Kazakh, Russian, and/or English. Abstracts are limited to a maximum of 800 words (i.e., 2400 total words in three languages), including the title and authors with reference to their organizations and e-mail addresses (see attached sample). The Conference Organizing Committee provides free abstract translation into Kazakh and Russian, as well as paid translation into English, however, submission of abstracts with a ready-made translation into English is welcome.

For event proposals, please provide a 100-word summary of the discussion topic and objectives by March 1, 2023.

The Conference Organizing Committee reserves the right to reject submissions, as well as to change the format of the submitted report (plenary, session, or poster).

Conference Proceedings Publication

Conference proceedings will be published in a special issue of the bilingual (Russian-English) “Raptors Conservation” research journal. Guidelines for contributions are identical to the rules for authors of the journal “Raptors Conservation” (see Rules for Authors on the journal's website). Articles are accepted in Russian or English (Kazakh language is not possible for the publication format). Articles in Russian must be accompanied by both an extended abstract in English and short abstracts in both languages. Articles in English must be accompanied by a brief abstract in English (full translation of English-language articles into Russian is provided by editors). Table contents and captions and figure captions must also be provided in both languages. Article length is not limited. Photographic materials for articles are welcome.

Registration Fee

The registration fee is 17,000 tenge / 2,300 rubles / 45 USD, and covers the cost of publications, handouts, and coffee breaks and must be paid online. Information on payment methods will be given in the Information Letter II, to be released in February, 2023.

Accommodation and Meals

Arrangement for accommodation and meals will be announced in Information Letter II.

A gala dinner will be organized on the first day of the conference, at a cost of 12,000 tenge / 1,800 rubles / 35 USD, also paid online. Information on payment methods will be given in Information Letter II.

Transportation

Participants will travel independently to the conference. The Committee can organize transfers from Almaty airport and the train station to the hotel upon request.

The Committee will consider financially sponsoring registration fees, travel, accommodation, and meals for individual speakers upon request.

Conference Secretary

Elvira Nikolenko
raptors_palearctic@altaiproject.org
Whats App, Telegram: +7-923-150-12-79

We would be very grateful if you shared this information among your colleagues!

Sourse: https://www.altaiproject.org/2023_eagles_conference/