gtö: Islands in land- and seascape: The Challenges of Fragmentation

In 2012, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg will host the Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology (Gesellschaft für Tropenökologie, gtö), focusing on the Islands in land- and seascape. The conference (www.gtoe-conference.de) will run from February 22 to 25, 2012 in Erlangen, Germany. The conference aims at maximizing interactions among scientists of all disciplines and backgrounds who are interested in tropical biogeography and biodiversity.

The fragmentation of habitats and ecosystems around the tropics poses tremendous problems for maintaining ecosystem functions. Natural islands may serve as model ecosystems in terms of biogeographic patterns and processes in population dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Future climate change, land use changes and increasing pressure by growing local populations land impose additional challenges for the development of successful mitigation and adaptation strategies. The annual conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology (gtö) will provide an interdisciplinary platform for discussion, particularly on the following topics:

• Biogeographic patterns and ecological processes in naturally isolated tropical ecosystems (islands, high mountains)
• Processes and consequences of ecosystem fragmentation for biodiversity and ecosystem services
• Human ecology and management of fragmented tropical ecosystems

Link to the conference page.