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The Pan-African Ornithological Congress (PAOC)

International Research and Training Center, Cameroon

Conservation titles available free

Just released: Living on the Edge

African Bird Image Database

The Pan-African Ornithological Congress (PAOC) October 2016  

The 14th PAOC will take place this year in Dakar, Senegal, from 16th – 21st October, with the theme ‘Global changes – threats and opportunities for birds’. The PAOC is an organisation of professional and dedicated amateur ornithologists, which aims to promote the further study, conservation and appreciation of African birds, and disseminate information on African birds through congresses and their published proceedings. Congresses usually take place every four years, the first one being held in Livingstone, Zambia in 1957 and the most recent one being held in Arusha, Tanzania in 2012. PAOC14 will be the first congress to take place in a francophone country of West Africa.

Africa was the first continent to have its own ‘continental’ ornithological congress, and the PAOC has played an important role in the development of ornithology in Africa. Of significance is its role in promoting African ornithologists and providing a forum for graduates and others to present their findings to an international audience.

The PAOC usually comprises a mix of plenary presentations and parallel symposia as well as a full day of field excursions. The technical sessions of PAOC14 will take place from 17th-21st October, split by a day of field visits to various sites within reasonable distance of Dakar. The congress venue is the Ngor Diarama Hotel, which, situated on the Cap Vert Peninsula, offers its own interest for ornithologists, with views out to the Ile de Ngor and the Atlantic Ocean. 

Presentations at the PAOC can be made in French or English, and efforts are being made to ensure that at least some sessions will benefit from simultaneous translations. Abstracts and eventual papers may also be submitted in either French or English. Further information about the congress and for submission of abstracts and registration are available at www.paoc-africa.org.

WAOS plans to have a stall at PAOC14 and to promote its journal Malimbus. We hope that a number of WAOS members will participate in the congress and that we can also boost our membership at this important event, especially given that it will take place in West Africa for the first time in 20 years.

Tim Dodman

From Center for Tropical Research, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, January 2011
Consider the following new resource to facilitate research in Cameroon

The Center for Tropical Research (CTR) has launched a Facebook page for our recently established International Research and Training Center, Cameroon. The center has sleeping accommodations, workspace, free high-speed Internet access, and logistical support available for scholars conducting research in Africa. The fully furnished apartment is in the Bastos neighborhood of Yaoundé (see the Facebook page for photos and reservation information). We hope our new Facebook page will provide a venue for Africa researchers in various disciplines to find out more about the center and to exchange valuable information about ongoing projects. Even if you do not have a Facebook account, you can still view the page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Research-and-Training-Center-Cameroon/126043390790399. If you do have a Facebook account, we hope you will visit our page and click the 'Like' box on the top right of the page. You can type International Research and Training Center, Cameroon into the Facebook 'Search' box to locate the page. If you are conducting research in Africa, you are welcome to put posts about your research on the Wall or links to useful articles or websites. To be able to post, you have to first click the 'Like' box, then click on the 'Post' button. Longer posts can be put on the Discussions page. We also urge you to visit the International Research and Training Center website at: http://www.irtc.ucla.edu. 

Kevin Njabo, PhD, Africa Director, Center for Tropical Research, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, U.S.A., tel: 1-310-206-6234

From EcoAgriculture Partners Newsletter, December 2010
Conservation titles available free for developing country readers

The British Ecological Society and the NHBS Environment Bookstore together are offering free ecology and conservation books to readers and professionals in developing nations. The aim of this scheme is to provide ecology and conservation books to those from outside Western Europe, North America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand who would otherwise be unable to obtain them. The simple purpose of this scheme is to spread ecological knowledge as widely as possible. This scheme is a collaboration between the British Ecological Society (who pay for the postage), the NHBS Environment Bookstore (who co-ordinate and organize the distribution) and the publishers and authors of the books (who provide the books for free). For further information, please see http://www.nhbs.com/Conservation/gratis-books.php.

From KNNV Publishing, September 2009
Just released! Living on the Edge: Birds and Wetlands in a changing Sahel

What do Dutch purple herons, Siberian ruffs and Spanish subalpine warblers have in common? At first glance, perhaps not much. Except that they all spend most of their lives in Africa. The Sahel is of vital importance to their survival. Living on the edge: Birds and wetlands in a changing Sahel, a new book by KNNV Publishing, is an impressive tribute to this region’s function as a wintering area for the migratory birds of the Northern Hemisphere. Combining the latest scientific information with vivid landscape and species descriptions, this well-written and richly illustrated book will appeal to a broad audience.
Authors: Leo Zwarts, Rob G. Bijlsma, Jan van der Kamp, Eddy Wymenga, Publisher: KNNV Publishing, Photography: Jan van de Kam, Hans Hut and others, Details: 564 p., 21 x 28 cm, hardback, full colour, richly illustrated with drawings, maps and photos, ISBN: 978 90 5011 280 2 ,  Price: € 64,95. How to order? www.knnvpublishing.nl or info@knnvpublishing.nl