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Biodiversity, the building block of the form and function of ecosystems, are of high value due to the life-supporting services they provide. In India, biodiversity supports the very livelihoods and ways of life for millions. With only 2.4% of the world land area, India accounts for 7-8% of all recorded species due to its location at the tri-junction of the Afrotropical, Indo-Malayan and Palaearctic realms, all of which support rich biodiversity. However, the biodiversity of our megadiverse country is at stake due to several factors like climate change, deforestation and habitat loss, over-exploitation, invasive species and pollution. With alarm bells already ringing loud and clear, the 7th India Biodiversity Meet (IBM) is all set to bring to the discussion table the pertinent threats of biodiversity, food security, and climate change. IBM-2019b is expected to provide an excellent platform for experts and practitioners to join and share the outcomes of their research and discuss novel ideas on these issues.

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has emerged as one of the central issues in environmental research during the last decade. Because ecosystems collectively regulate the Earth system, the potential ecological consequences of biodiversity loss have aroused considerable interest. Loss and fragmentation of natural habitats, overexploitation of plant and animal species, the impact of invasive alien species, and climate change are creating havoc on global biodiversity. IBM-2018 will attempt to understand patterns of biodiversity change in the light of the following:

  • Causes and consequences of Biodiversity loss (observational, experimental, and theoretical studies)

  • Biodiversity conservation

  • Community ecology

  • Spatiotemporal aspects of biodiversity patterns

Theme 1

Mathematical and statistical ecology

Ecology has entered a phase of development where the subject is approached by quantitative reasoning. This may occur through application of statistical models to theoretical questions in ecology, or it may be achieved through sophisticated use of statistical techniques for experimental design and hypothesis testing. At the end of the day, a fusion of these approaches is expected to comprehend the ecological theories and to answer the fundamental questions of this domain. The 5th IBM-2018 will thrive to showcase the state of art of these quantitative methods in the following arenas:

  • Population Genetics

  • Statistical Methods in Evolutionary Genetics

  • Population demography

  • Spatial Data Handling (Remote sensing and GIS)

  • Species Distribution Modelling (SDM)

  • Survival analysis

  • Resource System Analysis

  • Wildlife Biometrics and Population Analysis

  • Mathematical/statistical treatment and modelling of biological processes

Theme 2

Sustainable agriculture and Natural resource management

Sustainable food production has never been more important - with the world population ever increasing, the environmental pressures on our planet have never been greater. The concept of sustainable agriculture embraces a wide range of techniques, including organic, free-range, low-input, holistic, and biodynamic crop production. Like previous years, IBM-2018 is focusing on recent developments towards sustainable agriculture practices in these sectors:

  • Agronomy and plant breeding

  • Biotechnology

  • Soil plant relationships

  • Plant and Environmental Health

  • Horticultural science

  • Livestock and Poultry Science

  • Land Use & Management

  • Agricultural Microbiology & Gene Technology

  • Agribusiness Sales and Applied Market Research

  • Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

Theme 3

Climate change impact assessment

Research on climate impacts has grown considerably in the past 5 years regarding the potential risk of damage associated with projected climate change and the vulnerabilities to climate change of a wide range of ecological systems. One of the major themes of IBM-2018 is to assess the sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and vulnerability of natural and human systems to climate change, and the potential consequences of climate change on:

  • Agriculture and food security

  • Terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems

  • Coastal Zones, groundwater, and marine Ecosystems

  • Human health

Theme 4

Business and Biodiversity

We live in an age where the importance of environmental and sustainability issues are more realized than ever before, but we are also faced with financial crisis and economic uncertainty. The Aichi target 4 highlights-“”. Though environmental and economic issues may appear to be very different and at odds with each other, they are actually deeply intertwined. In a logistic framework, a huge business opportunity lies in the collaboration of sustainability and the protection of biodiversity. There are many things that companies can do, and are doing, to creating a beneficial impact to the environment and to their bottom. This year, IBM is providing a platform, for the first time, to discuss the ideas and the following:

  • Biodiversity policy and law

  • Developing incentives, regulations and guidelines to encourage business development in sustainable production and consumption

  • Case studies of businesses taking actions

Theme 5
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